Planet Earth Prix
by Agent Sandra Cartrip
Summary: Lightning McQueen is invited to race in the Planet Earth Prix: a series of endurance races ran in wilderness regions from around the world. But McQueen faces tough competition - from old and new rivals alike. How will he do in the world's hardest races? This is Rain Forest Wolf's story (formerly CarlaVelosoWolf), which she has discontinued, but is allowing me to finish!
1. Invitation

**Hello readers! This is a _Cars_ fanfiction that was originally started by EarthHyena (CarlaVelosoWolf) before she decided to discontinue it after a while. When she did, she mentioned it was up for "adoption". So I contacted her and asked if I could continue the story, given she got the credit for the first 10 chapters she originally wrote. She said yes, and so, fellow readers, here is what will soon be the complete version of Planet Earth Prix! **

**As mentioned above—I do not own the story. The first ten chapters are EarthHyena's, not mine, so all credit goes to her.**

 **Also, the cover art is not mine—that too, is property of EarthHyena, she is just letting me use it for the story, so once again, that credit goes to her.**

 **Cars and characters copyrighted by Disney and Pixar!**

* * *

It was a beautiful, peaceful Summer day in Radiator Springs. A pink female Tesla drove around the little town, admiring the scenery and investigating the town. Yes, this had to be it. It wasn't long before she was spotted by one of the residents. The spotter was Sally. "Welcome to Radiator Springs, how may I help you?" Sally asked.

The car answered the question in a strong French accent. "Hello, I am looking for the Lightning McQueen. I have an invitation to give him."

"An invitation? Ok, I'll go get him. Stickers!" Sally drove off to find the race-car.

The French car giggled. _Stickers...what kind of nickname is that?_ she thought. Her thought was interrupted when Sally came over with Lightning McQueen. "I found him."

"So what is this invitation you were telling me about, Sally?" McQueen asked.

"This one." The French car handed McQueen the invitation. McQueen opened the envelope and read the letter that was inside.

 _Dear Lightning McQueen,_

 _I am honored to tell you that you are invited to race in Planet Earth Prix. In case you do not know, this is a series of 10 races that each take place in various wilderness regions around the world. The races are in the following locations: Germany's Black Forest, the Sand Dunes of the Arabian Desert, the African Savanna, the Australian Outback, the Amazon Rainforest, the bamboo forests of China, the tundra of Russia, the Himalayan Mountains, the icebergs of Antarctica, and the jungles of the Pacific Islands. You have been chosen to race because of your fabulous racing records and your participation in the World Grand Prix. Please let me know if you can run in the racing competition. Thank You._

 _Belia_

McQueen just stared at the letter. He could not believe it. All his life he had been wanting to race in the Planet Earth Prix. And now he finally gets to. The race-car couldn't help but wonder what champions he would meet at this racing competition.

"So, what do you think?" Sally asked. "Are ya going?"

"Of course I'm going, Sally. I have been wanting to race in this competition my whole life."

"Alright, I'll go tell the others." Sally drove off.

"So who do I reply to?" McQueen asked.

"Me," the French car replied. "I'm Belia."

"Well, Belia, you can count me in. Thanks so much for inviting me."

"Hey, no problem. You certainly are a champion - one deserving a spot in what is perhaps the most difficult racing competition in the world-"

"Howdy McQueen!" Mater drove up to McQueen and Belia. "Howdy Miss...uhh...Miss..."

"Belia," Belia said.

"Well, howdy Miss Belia!" Mater then turned his attention over to McQueen. "So I heard that your gonna to race again! Is that true?"

McQueen smiled. "Yes, Mater, it is true. Belia here invited me to."

"Yes, and this year it is being hosted by the C.F.S.M.E. In case you don't know, that stands for "Cars for Saving Mother Earth." It's an environmental organization." Belia added.

"Wait a minute...how do I know that this is not another one of those scandals?" Mater asked, rather suspicious.

McQueen sighed. "Mater..."

"But remember the World Grand Prix? That was a scandal-"

"Mater..."

"You can relax, my friend; this is no scandal. Trust me; I'm hosting the races this year. I'm one of the leaders of the C.F.S.M.E." Belia reassured.

"But last time the host of the race was the one that-"

"Mater..."

Mater looked at McQueen, then at Belia, then at the blue British car that somehow appeared from out of nowhere - or at least he seemed like he did. "Relax, Mater, Belia is one that can be trusted," the British car said.

Another British car - this one a purple female - drove up to the group. "Mater, Finn is right; Belia can be trusted. Trust me, I know her."

Mater relaxed. 'Well, if my friends Finn and Holley can trust her, then I can too. Sorry for giving the wrong impression of me, Miss Belia-"

Belia smiled. "No need to apologize, Mater. I understand how you feel. My life was changed by the scandal as well."

"Thanks for understanding... well, it's nice to meet ya, Miss Belia! ...hey McQueen, can I come to the races with you?"

McQueen replied with a question." Didn't I tell you that you're coming to all of my races from now on?"

"Luigi remembers hearing that." The little Italian car said as he drove up to the others. "So you need a pitcrew, McQueen? Sally told me-"

"Yes, Luigi, I will need a pit crew."

"Ok. I'll go get the others." Luigi drove off.

"What is it with Italians and speaking in the third person?" Belia asked. Everyone looked at her. "Seriously? The last Italian I talked to constantly spoke in the third person...and boy, was he a flirter! But those open wheels..."

"I think I know who you talked to, Belia," Holley said. "And I must admit that he is rather sexy, with those open wheels and all. However, my heart is with Mater."

"And what is it with girls and being obsessed with open wheels?" McQueen asked.

"So about this race I heard about...do you need a ride to and from the races?" Finn asked.

"Yes, please," McQueen replied.

"Great. I'll go call Siddeley." Finn drove off to make his call.

"And I'm gonna join up with Luigi and the rest of the pitcrew." Mater said as he drove off.

"Good idea, Mater. After all, you are the pitcrew chief!" McQueen called to Mater as the tow-truck left. He then turned his attention to the French car. "Well, Belia, I must get packing for this exciting trip. See you soon!"

"See ya," Belia replied. She then went back to exploring the town and the surrounding countryside.

* * *

 **The number of races and the locations of them may or may not change, but these are what they will be, for now.**


	2. Departure

It wasn't long before Siddeley arrived at Radiator Springs. Finn was the first to notice the jet's arrival. "I hope you're all ready to leave; Siddeley's here!"

McQueen, Mater, Belia, Luigi, and the rest of the pit-crew were all standing in front of the Doc Hudson Museum, bags in wheels, all ready to leave. Finn and Holley grabbed their bags and joined then.

"I'm glad to see that you are all ready to go," Siddeley said as he landed. After making a complete stop, the jet opened up. Finn and Holley were the first to enter, while McQueen and Belia were the last. But before they entered, McQueen talked to Sally. "I'll see you when I get back, Sally," McQueen told his girlfriend.

"I'll see you when you get back, Stickers," Sally replied. "Good luck in those races. And please be careful."

"Don't worry, I will be careful. I've raced before."

"Yes, I know, but these races, if I'm correct on this, are in complete wilderness."

"Yes, they are, I know that. You can relax, Sally, I'll be fine."

"Just be careful."

"I will."

"I love you, McQueen."

"I love you too, Sally." The two cars hugged, then McQueen entered the jet. As he did so, he asked Belia, "so where is the first race?"

"The first race is in Germany," Belia replied.

"Flight destination: Germany." Siddeley said. "What part?"

"The Black Forest."

"Alrighty, then, non-stop flight to the Black Forest of Germany!"

After the cars entered the jet and said their goodbyes with the residents that were not going on the trip, Siddeley took off from Radiator Springs, off to Germany; the location of the first race of the Planet Earth Prix.

* * *

 **EarthHyena (CarlaVelosoWolf): Sorry for such a short chapter! I promise that the upcoming chapters will be longer - and much more interesting!**


	3. Friends and Rivals

Thanks to Belia's guidance, Siddeley was able to arrive at a little village in the Black Forest of Germany. After the jet landed, all of the cars deboarded, and the jet left. Belia lead the other cars to the village hotel. "Alright, so you guys go check in and make yourselves comfy in your rooms, and McQueen, meet me here at 6:30. Ok?"

"Got it," McQueen replied as he and the others entered the hotel.

Once they drove up to the check-in counter, Finn spoke. "Hello, I would like to-"

"Guten tag! Sorry to interrupt you, Sir, but are you the members of Team McQueen?" A German car asked.

"Yes, we are."

"Alrighty, then, I'll lead you to your room. In case you wonder how I know, Belia made a reservation for you guys already."

"Why, that was sure nice of her!" Mater said.

The German car lead the cars of Team McQueen to their hotel room - room 95. It was a small little room, but it was very cozy - it had enough beds for all of the cars to sleep in. "Enjoy your stay here in Germany," the German car said before he left McQueen and his friends to settle down in the room.

Holley sat on one of the beds. "Wow, these are cozy."

Mater was already snoozing on another one of the beds, while the rest unpacked their stuff. McQueen only had five minutes to rest before he had to leave to meet up with Belia. After saying goodbye to his companions, he left the hotel room.

Belia saw him arriving. "Oh, you're just in time, McQueen. Follow me." The French car lead the American race-car to a different section of the village, where there apparently was a party for the race-cars running in the Planet Earth Prix. "So you can stay as long as you like, McQueen. This is the time to meet up with your competitors. See you." Belia drove off.

"Bonjour McQueen! Remember me?" Raoul CaRoule drove up to McQueen.

"Raoul, buddy, it's nice to see you again!" McQueen responded.

"Can't you believe it? We're in the Planet Earth Prix! This is amazing!"

"I totally agree with you, Raoul! This is sure amazing!"

"McQueen, you in this race too?" Shu asked as he drove up to the American race-car.

"Yes, Shu, I'm in the race. It's nice to see you again! So are all of the World Grand Prix racers in this race?"

"Yep."

At that moment, Rip Clutchgoneski and Carla Veloso drove by. They greeted McQueen.

McQueen greeted back. "Hello, Rip, hello, Carla. How are you guys doing?"

"How is your relationship going?" Raoul asked.

"It is wonderful," Carla replied.

"It couldn't be any better," Rip added.

Before anyone else could speak, a female purple car drove up to the American race-car. "So, you must be the famed Lightning McQueen, ay?" She had a strong German accent. "I hear that you are very good. But are you as good as me?"

"That's Wolff," Shu whispered to McQueen.

But Wolff overheard. "Yes, I am the famed Wolff of the Black Forest." She showed off her hood. "You see the painting I have on my hood? It is of a howling wolf. I just had this painted recently, for this race, see?"

"Yes, I see it," McQueen answered. "It's cool."

"So powerful, determined, and fierce they are - just like me." She looked at McQueen. "I will be seeing you later, then, McQueen. I must say that you look like a pretty good racer. But remember this: nobody is better than Wolff!" And with that, she drove off.

McQueen just watched the German car drive off.

"Ciao, McQueen!"

McQueen turned around to see who was greeting him, though he had a feeling he knew who it was: Francesco Bernoulli. And he was right - it was the Italian race-car who spoke to him. "Hello, Francesco."

"So are you-a ready to be-a beaten in tomorrow's race?" Francesco asked.

McQueen sighed. "And the insults are already coming, I see."

"Of course; Francesco enjoys insulting-a McQueen."

"I know that."

"Good; you-a should also know that-a Francesco will-a beat you tomorrow in the race."

"And how did I know that that was coming?" McQueen really was not in the mood for dealing with Francesco's insults. "So I will be seeing you later, then."

"Yes, you will-a be seeing Francesco. But not like-a this..."

 _Oh-no, not again._ McQueen thought to himself as the Italian race-car turned around.

"...you will be a-seeing him, like-a this." Once again, Francesco had the "Ciao McQueen" sticker on his rear-bumper.

McQueen didn't even bother to speak. He just drove away. But he didn't drive too far before bumping into a female Formula One car. "Oh, I'm so sorry, miss!" he apologized.

"No problem," she replied. "So you must be Lightning McQueen?"

"Yes, I am. And you must be-"

"Crystal. From Russia." The Formula One interrupted.

"I see."

"I noticed Francesco insult you. This is so?"

"Yes, he does."

"Why do you put up with it? Why don't you just kick his bumper?"

"Umm...because I'm not the type of car who does that sort of stuff."

"Want me to do it for you?"

"Uhh...not really..."

"Too bad, I will." And with that, Crystal drove off. McQueen watched her drive towards the Italian race-car.

"She's tough," Miguel Camino said as he drove up to McQueen.

"I've noticed," McQueen replied as he turned his attention to his friend.

"But I think she cares about you. Or at least would like you to stand up for yourself."

"But I do stand up for myself."

"True. Perhaps she just wants to have an excuse to kick Francesco's bumper. I heard that she's always wanted to do that, for some reason."

McQueen chuckled. "I don't know, but she is, as you said, tough."

"I wonder how good of a racer she is."

"To be here, she must be one good racer." McQueen yawned. "My goodness, I am tired."

"Tired? How can you be tired?"

"Time difference. Long plane flight."

"Oh, yeah, that."

"I think I'm going to go back to my hotel."

"Ok, Amigo. See you tomorrow."

"See ya!" McQueen left his Spanish friend, and drove up to Belia. "I'm going to go back to my hotel room, if that is ok. I'm tired."

Belia smiled. "That's ok, McQueen, I understand. Today was a long day and tomorrow will be a big day. You need as much rest as possible. Good night."

"Good night." McQueen left the party and drove back to the hotel. He snuck into it quietly, as all of his friends were fast asleep.

* * *

 **EarthHyena: In case you wondered, Wolff is partially a made up character. There are deleted scenes that came with the Cars 2 DVD, and one of the scenes took place in Germany. In the scene there was this one purple car whom seemed to be popular with the residents and whose name is Marlene Wolfsburg, or Marlena Wolfsburg, or something like that. "Wolff" will be her nickname, and that it is what everybody will call her by - except for the announcers and the media. Her personality, of course, is made up.**

 **Wolff and Crystal belong to EarthHyena. The rest of the characters are owned by Disney Pixar!**


	4. Before the Race

It was the next day. McQueen was glad to have gotten a good night's rest, as were the rest of his comrades. As they left the hotel and headed towards the race-track, the cars talked to McQueen about last night and the upcoming race.

Mater was excited. "Today's the first race, McQueen!"

McQueen smiled. "Yes, Mater, I know."

"I hope ya win!"

"I hope so too."

"So did you get to meet your competitors?" Luigi asked.

"Yes, I did." McQueen replied.

"So who were they?"

"My pals from the World Grand Prix, a German named Wolff, a tough Russian named Crystal, and a few others that I haven't gotten around to meeting yet."

"Any Ferraris?"

"Not that I know of."

"That sounds like you have some tough competition," Finn said.

"Yes, I do, but that will make these races even more enjoyable."

"I'm glad you see it that way. I always find things to be more enjoyable when they are harder."

"So are there any female race-cars?" Holley asked.

"Yes. Carla Veloso from Brazil is female; she was also in the World Grand Prix. Then there was Wolff. Oh, and I can't forget about Crystal."

"So do you like Germany so far?" Max Schnell asked as he drove up to the group.

"Yes, I do. Very much," McQueen replied.

"It is very beautiful," Holley added.

Schnell stared at Holley; he was attracted by her beauty. But that attention didn't last long as one car chased another nearby. The German car sighed. "Oh, boy, here she goes again..."

Crystal was chasing Francesco. It was only because of his speed that the Italian was able to even attempt escaping from the Russian.

"I would love to know what she holds against him."

"I would like to know as well," McQueen said. "I'm guessing that she can't stand his attitude - which I admit I can't stand at times."

"She almost got him yesterday at the party."

"Really?"

"Yeah, right after she finished talking to you. But Francesco noticed at the last moment and sped away just in time."

The cars continued to watch the scene. By then, Francesco had managed to hide between the bushes, and Crystal was seeking him out. "Oh, come on, Francesco, I know you're here somewhere. Why don't you just get your spoiler out of hiding and face me!" Luckily, for the Italian race-car, the Russian drove off in the opposite direction.

After she had gone, Francesco drove out of the bushes, and came across Team McQueen and Schnell. "Ciao McQueen, ciao Schnell, ciao the rest of you."

"Hello, Francesco," McQueen replied.

"McQueen, would you-a do Francesco a favor?"

"What is it?"

"If you-a see Crystal, will-a you let-a Francesco know so that he can-a escape?"

"Uhh...ok..."

"So what is with this Crystal anyhow?" Schnell asked.

Francesco glanced around before replying. "If you-a haven't noticed by now, Crystal wants to-a kick Francesco's bumper."

"We know that. But why?"

"Francesco will-a tell you later. Ciao!" He drove off at high speeds, with Crystal hot in pursuit.

All of the cars watched, unaware that another one had drove up to them. "And I thought that I was the tough girl. But I was wrong; she is." Wolff said, looking over at Schnell. The others nodded in agreement. "Well, it is time for the race. Come on, McQueen, Schnell - let us see how good of racers you two are."

McQueen and Schnell followed Wolff to the starting line. Besides Crystal and Francesco, everybody was there.

They heard Rip speaking outloud. "I can't belive that I get to race in the Planet Earth Prix I thought that it was awesome enough that I got the race in the World Grand Prix I thought things couldn't of gotten better than they did this is the best day of my life!"

Carla giggled, which caused Shu to look over to her. Raoul decided to pass the time by doing some tricks, while most of the others watched. Wolff was already starting her engines, getting impatient at the waiting.

After 5 minutes, Crystal and Francesco finally arrived. "I will get you one day, Mr. Open-Wheels," Crystal told the Italian as she got in her spot.

Francesco chuckled. "Miss Open-Wheels, you-"

"You better not be suggesting-"

"No, of-a course not! Francesco is just-a mentioning that you also have open-wheels."

"Alright, that's true. And I must say I like having open-wheels."

"I wonder what it is like to have open wheels," McQueen whispered to Schnell.

"Ladies and gentlecars, it is now time for the running of the Planet Earth Prix!" Belia announced.

The crowd got excited. A female Formula One started to blow kisses at her son, and Francesco waved back to her and quickly talked to her.

After a few minutes of trying to get the crowd to calm down, Belia continued to speak. "Alright, so before we get this race started...there are some rules we have to go over!"

Most of the race-cars groaned, as did the crowd, who did not want to hear rules that did not apply to them. Belia continued. "Alright, First Rule: no cheating. Second Rule: be respective of your fellow racers. Third Rule: do not purposely crash another car - that means you, Chick Hicks. Fourth Rule: be respective of the environment. Basically, this means to stay on the track. Fifth Rule: do not run over wildlife when possible. Those poor creatures do not know the dangers of roads, and we really don't want their naiveness to result in their deaths. And Sixth Rule: have fun! Alright, it's time for the countdown!" The lights went on. The race-cars started their engines. "Five, four, three, two, one..." The lights turned green. "And they're off!"


	5. The Black Forest Race

Upon hearing the words "and they're off," all of the race-cars sped away, and immediately tried to take their positions. As usual, McQueen drove to the front of the pack but, also as usual, Francesco took the lead. So he just stayed behind the Italian. He was followed by Crystal, Wolff, and Chick Hicks, who were jockeying for third. Carla followed them, and Shu followed her. Raoul and Schnell were behind them, and they were in front of Hamilton and Gorvette who, as best friends, were driving next to each other. A few other cars followed. Nigel and Miguel were behind them. And in last place was Rip who, after the whole World Grand Prix scandal, felt safest in the back of the pack.

McQueen couldn't help but admire the German forest that they drove through. Wolff noticed. "So you like the Black Forest, ay?"

"Yes, I do. Very much," the American replied.

"That is good to know. This is where I was born and raised."

"That's cool."

"So what are you doing in this big race anyways? Shouldn't you be in your cosy little forest home where it is all safe and sound?"

Wolff glared at the one who said those words. "You better not be indicating that I am weak!"

Chick Hicks grinned. "Yeah, you are. You are weak and fragile. And so is Carla, and Crystal, and Francesco-"

"FRAGILE! FRANCESCO IS NOT-A FRAGILE!" Francesco screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Yes you are; admit it. It's part of the Formula One. Fragility."

"Francesco is not-a fragile!"

"Want me to test that?"

"No," the Italian replied, fearing that Chick Hicks might try to hurt him.

"Plus, if you test it, you might be disqualified," McQueen added, partly in defense of Francesco, and partly cause it was reality. "Remember what Belia said? To not purposely crash into other drivers. It's one of the rules."

Chick Hicks sighed in annoyance. "Fine. But this is not over, Fragile Francesco." With that, he sped to first place, and sped away from the pack.

Francesco was about to go after the green race-car, but McQueen stopped him. "Relax, Francesco. Save your energy for the home-stretch. He'll tire himself out soon enough."

Francesco calmed down - and was now teasing McQueen. "Thank you for-a giving Francesco a tip on how he can-a beat you in this-a race!"

McQueen sighed. This was going to be a long competition.

After a while the cars had reached the hilly areas. This was Wolff's time to shine. She maneuvered around the trees skillfully, while the others (excluding Schnell and Raoul) struggled to some degree, especially with going uphill and downhill at the same time they avoided the trees. She eventually made her way to second place (Chick Hicks was still far ahead).

In particular, Francesco struggled. He just recently had been trained to deal with dirt tracks, but that was done on flat grounds. Never in his life had he had to deal with dirt and hills at the same time. He was quickly losing his lead as the others passed him. Eventually, even Rip passed him.

By the time that happened, Giuseppe Motorosi was yelling into the microphone of the headset he wore. "Francesco! What is-a happening! I thought that we got-a over this dirt issue a long time ago!"

Francesco instantly started to apologize in Italian. "Francesco is-a sorry! He can't-a deal with these hills and the dirt! And on top of that he must-a avoid the trees or he will-a crash and that will-a hurt! He is-a trying as hard as he-a can!"

"Well, try-a harder!"

"Si, Giuseppe! Francesco will!" He continued his efforts to catch up. At least his crew chief was only abusive through words, and never through actions.

Meanwhile, Raoul was having an easier time with the dirt, hills, and trees than all of the others, besides the two Germans. As was the Canadian rally-car that just caught up with him. Raoul stared at her. She was reddish-orange in color, and it was obvious that she was just as adapted to dirt as he was. "Uhh...Bonjour!" he greeted.

"Bonjour!" she replied back.

Raoul was surprised. "You...you know French?"

She giggled. "Of course I know French! I am Canadian!"

"Sweet! So, many I ask what your name is, madame?"

"Maple."

"Maple...that is a sweet name for a sweet madame like you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome!"

"So you were in the World Grand Prix, as I recall correctly?"

"Oui."

"I was cheering for you the whole time."

"Really?"

"Oui."

"Sweeeeeeet!"

"Say, what if we drive together for the rest of the race - until the home-stretch, of course!"

"Oui."

The two French-speaking cars drove together, but still continued the race as they usually would. Talking would be saved for later.

Meanwhile, way ahead of the rest of the pack, Chick Hicks just finished the most hilly part of the race. As McQueen had predicted, he was starting to tire. But this did not worry him much, as he was so far ahead of the others that he though it really did not matter.

Crystal was having a hard time with the dirt and hills, but she was not struggling nearly as much as Francesco was. Knowing that, as a Formula One, she was fragile, Crystal slowed down when driving downhill, in order to keep her control and not crash into a tree. Despite having to slow down on occasions, she managed to keep her position in fourth place.

Just as she started to drive down one of the hills, Carla lost her footing. She panicked as she slid downhill, completely out of control.

Putting all aspects of his personal safety aside, Shu sped down the hill. This was extremely dangerous, as he could of crashed - and possibly die. But he had to save Carla.

Digging his back wheels into the ground, Shu drove in front of the Brazilian, grabbed hold of her, and tried to halt her. But the kinetic energy that was created from the other car sliding downhill was just too much, and he slid as well. It wasn't long before he crashed into a tree. However, that finally stopped them both.

After taking a few moments to regain her breath, Carla got up - only to see her injured friend and rescuer. Although relieved to be ok herself, she was very worried over him. "Shu, are you alright?"

Mach Matsuo saw the crash on the live-action TV that all of the pits had, and was worried like crazy. "Todoroki, are you ok?" he asked through the headset, in Japanese, before Shu even had a chance to answer to Carla.

"Yes, I'll be fine," Shu replied, in Japanese, to Matsuo as he got up. He gave Carla the same response, but in English. Shu winced in pain as he rubbed his right side.

Carla noticed. "Oh dear, you're bruised! That looks painful!"

"It hurts."

"Do you want me to send the medical crew?" Matsuo asked.

"No, I'll be fine. I want to finish the race." Shu responded.

"Are you sure that you will be up to it? I would rather have you forfeit the race and be ok rather than continue in pain."

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm ok, trust me."

"Are you absolutely sure? Cause Belia is gathering the medical crew."

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. Tell Belia to not send them."

"Ok. But if it hurts too much and you want to discontinue please let me know ASAP."

"Ok. I will."

"So you're going to be ok, then?" Carla asked once more.

"Yes, I'll be ok, as long as you are," Shu responded.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me."

"You're welcome."

"That was weird though. I'm usually very good racing on natural tracks."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Everybody places their wheels in the wrong spots at times."

At that moment, the two cars saw Nigel lose his footing and slide down the hill. But before anybody could do anything about it, he crashed into a tree.

"Nigel!" Both Carla and Shu gasped at the same time. They drove over to their British friend.

"Oww..." Nigel complained.

"Nigel, are you ok?" Carla asked.

"No..."

"Matsuo, I changed my mind. Get the medical crew." Shu told his pit crew chief.

"Ok. Hurt too much?" Matsuo asked.

"No, but Nigel is injured."

"Ok. Actually, Belia just sent the medical crew to help him."

"Wow, that was fast."

"She had told them what I told her just as the crash occurred. So she sent them off immediately."

"That's good."

"It's ok, Nigel, you're gonna get the help you need." Carla reassured.

"Thanks..." Nigel mumbled.

The two race-cars decided to stay with their injured friend and wait for the medical crew with him.

After a little bit of time, the medical crew arrived. After the doctor examined Nigel's damaged hood and "nose," a tow-truck hooked him up and took him to the hospital.

But the doctor did not leave immediately. Instead, he grabbed his examination supplies. "Shu, will you come over here for a moment?"

"Oh-no..." Shu said under his breath as he drove over to the doctor. "What do you want?"

"I just want to take a quick peek at that injury."

Shu sighed in annoyance. _Why is everybody pestering me over one little bruise?_ he thought.

The doctor applied pressure to the bruised area. Shu tried to hide his pain. Carla just watched.

After the examination the doctor grabbed a vaccine. "Ok, so I'm just gonna have to give you this little injection to heal the bruise."

Shu's eyes grew wide. "Uhh...can we please do this after the race?"

The doctor was not as easily convinced as Matsuo and Carla were. "Listen, if we get this done now then the better off you'll be."

"Please can we do this after the race? It might affect my performance."

The doctor thought for a moment. "Well, seeing that I don't know how this will affect your racing abilities...uhh...ok, we'll do this after the race."

"Thank you. See you Carla." Shu sped off, not wanting to hear any more about his injury. Carla followed. After all, they were still racing. The doctor left the track.

Meanwhile, Hamilton and Gorvette were not necessarily exceeding on the hilly conditions of the track, but they were not struggling. Miguel and Schnell were doing better with it than many of the others. And Raoul and Maple were flying by the others, excelling on the hilly dirt track. Rip was not having the easiest time with the hills, but he was doing much better with it than Crystal and Francesco. But he remained in second to last place.

After a while the rest of the cars finished the most hilly part of the race and, compared to the parts of the track that they raced so far, it seemed relatively flat. This gave Francesco the chance to catch up, and he sped by Rip and many of the others.

Wolff was still in second place, and McQueen remained in third place, as he did the entire time they were in the hills. "I know this track by heart," Wolff told McQueen.

"I can see that," McQueen replied.

"Do you think we will ever catch up to this Chick Hicks guy?"

"I'm sure we will. Soon."

Meanwhile, although still far ahead, Chick Hicks was getting extremely exhausted. He started to wonder if he made a mistake by bursting ahead right at the beginning. But still thinking that they would never catch up, he decided to take a few minute break.

But that was a mistake.

He had rested longer than he had thought, for he heard the distant but approaching engines of the other cars, mainly Wolff and McQueen. He quickly got up and drove as fast as he could, so as not to give the impression that he was exhausted and was resting.

But no matter how hard he tried, he was still exhausted so could not drive very fast. He saw Wolff and McQueen approaching. They passed him. Eventually, all of the other cars, even Rip, passed him.

"See, I told you that we would pass him," McQueen told Wolff.

"That's good," Wolff replied. "Now, nobody is between me and the finish-line!"

"Not for long! Cause I am speed!" McQueen drove past Wolff, then the two jockeyed for the lead.

Francesco had finally been able to make it back to the front of the pack, but faced competition from Crystal for third place. Crystal was tempted to try to get him, but decided that she would do so after the race. She did not want to risk losing her spot.

As the last half of the raced was on terrain that was not as hilly, the cars just drove through the course, with nothing unusual happening. They enjoyed the scenic German forest.

Finally, they saw the little German village in the distance. This was it: the home-stretch. Rip, who had purposely stayed in the back of the pack, now drove as fast as he could, passing many unsuspecting cars who thought that he would just stay back there.

Wolff and McQueen were now in serious competition for the lead. Neither of them wanted to lose. As they drove down the last half of the home-stretch they were hood-to-hood as they fought for the lead. Right at the last minute Wolff gave a final burst of speed and crossed the finish-line before McQueen.

"Marlene Wolfsburg wins the Black Forest race of the Planet Earth Prix!" Belia announced. The crowd went wild.

After everyone crossed the finish-line, the results were posted. They were as follows:

1st: Marlena "Wolff" Wolfsburg

2nd: Lightning McQueen

3rd: Crystal Skorost

4th: Francesco Bernoulli

5th: Raoul CaRoule

6th: Maple Foret

7th: Max Schnell

8th: Carla Veloso

9th: Rip Clutchgoneski

10th: Miguel Camino

11th: Jeff Gorvette

12th: Lewis Hamliton

13th: Shu Todoroki

Followed by all of the other cars

Last: Chick Hicks

Unable to Finish Race: Nigel Gearsley

* * *

 **EarthHyena: Whenever a race-car talks to his pit crew chief and vice verse, they will be speaking in their native languages. For example, when Shu and Matsuo speak to each other they are talking in Japanese.**

 **EarthHyena: There may or may not be more race cars, so that's why "all the other cars" without giving them names.**

 **Maple is EarthHyena's character. The rest belong to Disney Pixar except Wolff, Belia, and Crystal, who are EarthHyena's.**


	6. After the Race

After the race was finished and the results were posted, all of the race-cars socialized in the little German town.

Raoul was driving around, trying to find Maple. He found her talking to Gorvette and Hamliton. "Bonjour Maple, Gorvette, and Hamilton!"

"Hi Raoul," Gorvette and Hamilton greeted.

Maple drove up to Raoul, and snuggled against him. "Bonjour, Raoul."

Raoul grinned happily, but his "cheeks" were red with embarrassment. He looked at Gorvette and Hamilton, who were just staring at him. "Heeheehee."

"I think she likes you, man." Hamilton said.

"Really?"

"Yep."

Maple got off of her new friend so that she could talk to him. "So tell me more about yourself, Raoul."

Raoul hesitated. "Well...uhh...let's see here...umm...where should I start...oh, yeah, I am an experienced rally racer. Hence, my talent for the dirt. Oh, and I used to be in a French Circus."

Maple was fascinated. "Ooo, can I see a trick or two?"

"Sure." Raoul balanced on his two left wheels, and drove around in a figure eight. After that he jumped into the air and did a backflip. He landed on all four wheels.

Maple applauded like crazy. "OMG THAT WAS LIKE THE MOST AMAZING THING I EVER SAW!"

Raoul smiled. "And that was just the basics, madame. I will show you more later, but not now. So, tell me about yourself, madame."

Maple had to take a deep breathe in order to calm down, before she spoke. "Ok, first off, I should let you know that I'm afraid of heights. No, make that terrified of heights. Don't know why, but I just am. Now onto positive stuff. I like racing, obviously, and I love performances like the one you just did. I'm also very fascinated with autobiology. I like to shop every now and then, and I like to hang out with my friends. And did I tell you that I love performances, perhaps more than anything else?"

Raoul looked at Maple starry-eyed, absorbing every word that she said into his brain. Maple giggled once she noticed. The two then drove away together, talking as they did so.

"Those two were meant for each other," Gorvette told Hamilton. Hamilton nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Wolff was bragging about her win. "See, didn't I tell you all that Wolff never loses? Particularily at me home-track, cause I knows it by heart, unlike you guys, who don't even know it until after the race."

Schnell sighed. "Ok Wolff, we get it."

"She has a point, though: we didn't know the track," Miguel added.

Schnell looked at Miguel. "I do! But you are right; most of you guys did not know the track. But at least she doesn't insult us like Francesco does."

"Yep. But Francesco's insults are NOTHING compared to Chick Hicks' verbal attacks on us."

Schnell nodded in agreement, not wanting to say anything as Chick Hicks drove by.

McQueen drove up to the little group. "Hey, Wolff, I just wanted to say, good job in that race today."

Wolff smiled. "Why thank you McQueen. I will admit you are much better than I originally thought. Good job to you too."

"Gee, thanks!"

Francesco was freaking out. "Fourth place! Francesco has-a never been in-a fourth place before! How could-a this of-a happened? Francesco always-a wins! He has-a come in-a second before but-a never worse than that! How did this-a occur?"

McQueen noticed. "Francesco, relax, calm done. There is nothing wrong with coming in fourth place. This is not the end of the world."

"Si, it is-a."

"No it's not. Look around you. Do you see any fiery infernals of hell? Or any asteriods coming our way? Or any giant tidal waves about to drown the entire world with tons of water?"

"No."

"Exactly. So the world's not coming to an end."

"But Francesco lost-a the race."

"But you still did good - especially since you were struggling with the dirt at the World Grand Prix."

"Si..." Francesco stared at McQueen and Wolff as his panicky nature turned into outrage. "But you beat-a Francesco! You and Wolff defeated-a Francesco!"

Wolff decided to intervine. "Hey, dude, relax. Plus, don't forget about Crystal. She kicked your bumper too, you know. Hey, that reminds me, she should be happy now."

Francesco glanced around quickly to make sure that the Russian was not in sight before responding. "She does not-a just want to-a beat Francesco in-a race; she literally wants to-a kick his bumper."

"Oooohh. I guess that explains why she was chasing you earlier."

"So why does she anyways?" Schnell asked.

Francesco though about whether he should tell or not. "Well...Francesco has-a defeated Crystal in-a race once, and made her-a lose her undefeated status..."

"And speaking of the devil!" Wolff whispered as Crystal drove up to the group.

"Dobryi den," Crystal greeted, in Russian. Everyone greeted her back.

Miguel decided to joke around. "So, Crystal, since McQueen and Wolff defeated you and all, does that mean that you now want to kick their bumpers as well?"

"No." Crystal responded humorlessly. "Only Francesco's."

"But now-a that you beat-a Francesco, aren't-a we even now?" Francesco asked, grinning sheepishly.

Crystal stared at Francesco. "Francesco, you know as well as I that this is more than just about you beating me in a race." She drove away.

Francesco was watching her nervously. McQueen was looking back and forth between the two Formula Ones. "Uhh...is there something that we don't know about but should?"

Francesco lied. "No. Of-a course not."

"I'm surprised that she is not going after him," Wolff whispered to McQueen.

Crystal heard. "Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, Wolff." With that, she bolted after Francesco, who instantly fled.

The two Formula Ones zoomed by Carla, Shu, and Rip.

"I wonder if she'll ever catch him," Shu commented.

"And I wonder if the doctor will ever get that needle into ya bumper," Chick Hicks said as he drove up to them.

Shu whispered, in a panicky tone. "Shh, don't say it out loud! I think he forgot about it and you'll remind him! And frankly I could live my life without getting any shots back there thank you very much. By the way, I injured my side, not my bumper."

Rip looked between Shu and Chick Hicks. "Uhh...could someone tell me what's going on?"

"Long story short I was trying to save Carla and in the process I crashed into a tree, injuring myself," Shu told Rip.

"It's great to hear that you saved Carla but oww that must hurt badly."

"It does, but I'm fine."

"I for one would like to know how Chick Hicks found out about all this," Carla remarked.

"Yeah," Shu agreed. "How did you find out, Chick Hicks?"

"I heard the doctor and his pit crew chief talking about it after the race. Ah, and looky at who it is!"

The doctor came over to the group. He had overheard it all. "Sorry, Shu, but I did not forget."

Shu rolled his eyes and sighed. "Alright, doctor, I guess that you can give me that shot now, even though I really don't want or need it. See you guys later." He and the doctor drove off.

"Tell me how it all goes!" Chick Hicks called as they left. He turned his attention to Carla and Rip. "Ahh, so who do we have here? Oh yeah, that's right, we have the loser-"

"I'm not a loser!" Rip complained.

"Yes you are. You are the worst racer ever. You're a stupid, naive, weird, weak, overly-innocent loser car! And nothing will ever change that!"

Rip was now crying. "You're mean!"

Carla immediately defended Rip. "Rip is not a loser! He is very smart, is aware about his environment, and is not weak! He is not weird, but rather is a very unique, loving individual! And yes, he is very innocent, but that is perfectly ok!"

"So speaks the partier who gets drunk and spends the night with multiple cars all the time!" Chick Hicks insulted.

Carla was severely offended. "That is not true! Just...just go away! Leave us alone!" She yelled.

"Fine." Chick Hicks drove away from them, looking for someone else to bully.

"I'm not a loser!" Rip wailed.

Carla took a few deep breathes to calm herself, then started to comfort Rip. "It's ok, Rip. You are not a loser. Chick Hicks is just being cruel, that's all. Don't listen to him. He knows nothing about you."

"He knows about my innocent nature," Rip mentioned.

"Alright, so he does. But so what? Doesn't everybody?"

"Yeah." Rip wiped the tears from his cheeks. Carla continued to comfort Rip.

Once again, Francesco had managed to hide from Crystal. She tried to seek him out, but drove in the wrong direction. Just as he came out of hiding, Chick Hicks drove up to him.

"Why, if it isn't Fragile Francesco," Chick Hicks greeted insultingly.

Francesco sighed. "Francesco is not-a fragile."

"Yes you are. And I see that you are a crybaby too."

"Francesco is not-a crybaby!"

"Then explain why you were complaining earlier. So are you gonna cry and drive up to your mommy for comfort, Mama's Boy?"

"Francesco loves his mama very much, but he is-a not a Mama's Boy."

"Yes you are; you can't hide it. You are a Mama's Boy!"

McQueen, who was nearby, decided that he had to intervene before either of the cars got seriously hurt. He drove between the two. "Ok, guys, let's stop this before a fight results."

Francesco sighed with relief. "Ah, for once Francesco is-a glad to see-a McQueen. You know-a this car, right? So can-a you stop him from insulting-a Francesco?"

McQueen glared at Chick Hicks. "Chick Hicks, would you please stop insulting Francesco and my other friends?"

Chick Hicks was surprised. "Friend? I thought you and Francesco hated each other."

"We are rivals, and he does insult me at times - which can be unbearable - but despite that we are friends."

"Then shouldn't you be thanking me for teaching him a lesson?"

"No, cause revenge is not the way to go. Plus, I thought that you didn't care for me at all."

"True, I don't."

"So you would just be using it then as an excuse to justify bullying him. And that's not right."

Just then, Miguel drove up to the three cars. "Did you hear, the doctor is now gonna allow us to visit Nigel!"

McQueen smiled. "Come on, Francesco, let's go visit Nigel!" Francesco nodded in agreement.

As they left with Miguel, McQueen looked back at Chick Hicks. "Are you coming with us?"

Chick Hicks admitted his true feelings. "No. That foolish Brit should of looked where he was going. Tis not my fault that he was hurt!"

McQueen sighed, then he and his friends drove to the hospital.

* * *

 **In case anybody is curious, autobiology is something that EarthHyena just made up; to my and her knowledge, it is not real. Predictably, it is the biology of cars ;)**


	7. Hospital

"Hey guys. How is he doing?" McQueen asked as he and Francesco entered the hospital.

"I think he's gonna be ok," Hamilton replied.

"He just drank some water, so that's a good sign, right?" Gorvette added.

"Yes, it is a good sign," Maple said. "It means that his body is functioning well enough to allow his mouth muscles to allow him to do the physical act of drinking."

"Wow, you're soo smart!" Raoul complimented.

"Thanks. I was a volunteer medical assistant when I was a teen."

"Wow...so Nigel is going to be a-ok, then?"

"So far, it seems like he is."

"That is great!"

"It's...nice...to...see...you...all...here..." Nigel said.

"He talks! That's another good sign, right?" Gorvette asked.

"Tis a wonderful sign," Maple replied.

"How are you doing, Nigel?" McQueen asked.

"I...think...that...I'm...gonna...be...fine...but. ..my...hood...hurts..." Nigel answered.

"Don't worry, the pain won't last that long," Schnell comforted. "When I was training for the first time I crashed into a tree. It hurted for only about, say, a week or so."

"But the important thing is that you are going to live and that you are going to be fine and that you are going to recover," Miguel added. The others agreed.

"And nothing is more important than that," McQueen said.

"Yes. We can thank the Spirits of the deceased Black Forest Wolves for his recovery," Wolff stated. "Cause they are helping him to recover, unbeknownst to us or science."

"Wolf Spirits?" McQueen asked, confused.

"Yes. Don't you know, Wolves are the Spirits of the Wilderness. Even when the actual animal itself is needlessly slaughtered off, it's Spirit will always survive and continue to influence the Wilderness and everything in it, including us."

All of a sudden, a scream could be heard. A few moments later, Shu rushed into the hospital room.

"Uhh...will-a someone explain to-a Francesco what's-a going on?" Francesco asked.

Carla told Francesco and the others about what had happened when Shu rescued her right before Nigel crashed into the tree.

Nigel was surprised. "He...was...hurt...too?"

The Brazilian nodded.

"But...it...didn't...seem...like...he...was...hurt ...when...he...and...Carla...went...to...help...me ..."

"I was thinking the same before he actually told me," Rip said. "I'm telling ya, he's very good at hiding pain."

"Except for a few momets ago," Crystal said as a counterargument.

"That's because I HATE getting shots. I just can't get over having a needle stuck into me and it hurts and I just can't hide it," Shu said in defence as he rubbed his side.

Just then, the doctor arrived, with a needle in his right wheel. "Ok, Nigel, in order to help you heal I am going to have to give you this shot. Relax and it won't be so bad."

"Is this doctor obsessed with shots or something?" Shu asked, rather annoyed.

"No. Injections are just a vital part of many medical procedures."

"Just like how wildlife 'managers' claim that wolves need to be 'controlled' - meaning, killed. Tis not true," Wolff argued, in defence of her friends (and favourite animal).

The doctor ignored Wolff. He rubbed a cleanser liquid on Nigel's hood. "Just close you eyes, and it'll be over before you know it."

Nigel did as he was bidden, not wanting to see any of this. The doctor got ready to give the shot. "Three...two...one..." he injected the needle into his patient's hood.

"OWW!" Nigel couldn't help but scream.

The doctor removed the needle. "There. Done."

Nigel opened his eyes, to see the doctor apply some sort of liquid on the sight of the injection. "See, didn't I tell you that it wasn't going to be that bad?"

Nigel didn't say anything. The doctor turned his attention to Belia.

As the doctor and Belia talked, the race-cars talked to Nigel, making sure that he was going to be alright.

After a while, the doctor and Belia left the room. Belia was greeted by newscars as she left the hospital.

"What is Nigel Gearsley's condition?" one of them asked.

"Will he still compete in the next race?" another asked.

"Nigel is going to make a full recovery, but we don't know how long that will take," Belia responded. "But he will be scratched from the next race."

More questions followed. "Will he be scratched from the rest of the Planet Earth Prix?"

"Does Nigel know yet?"

"What is his reaction to this?"

"Did he help make this decision or was it done by you?"

Belia answered all of the questions. "Nigel does not know yet, and the decision was made my me, his pit crew chief, and the doctors. He may be scratched from the Planet Earth Prix but it's too early to make a formal decision on that yet. We will have to wait and see what his condition is after the next race. But the possibility is very real."

After more questioning from the newscars, Belia went back into the hospital and told Nigel that he will not be competing in the next race.

"Ok," Nigel responded, reacting to the news much better than Belia had thought he would.

But the other race-cars were not so pleased. "Scratched? How can Nigel be scratched from the race?"

"This is unfair!"

"No way this can't be so!"

"No!"

"This is-a not-a good!"

"Guys, listen. I know this is not news that any of us want to hear but it's for his own good! We don't want to risk him getting injured again and possibly dying! It's happened before! Remember that undefeated Indycar from India? She tried to race again right after recovering from a serious engine explosion, but it exploded again and she DIED!"

That silenced all of the race-cars.

"Sorry Belia," Schnell had the courage to say. "We're all just so disappointed."

Belia was sympathic. "It's ok, I know. If it'll make you guys feel any better he will be able to travel with us to the next location and watch the next race."

"Speaking of the next race, where is it?" McQueen asked.

"We're going to Australia, mate!"

* * *

 **EarthHyena: In case you don't know, to be scratched from a race means that the individual will not be competing in the race. Scratches usually result due to injuries.**


	8. Flight

Belle gave the race-cars the next day to explore Germany. Then, the day after that, they all boarded their planes to fly to Australia.

After everyone on Team McQueen boarded, Siddeley took off.

"So did you have a good race?" Luigi asked, even though he knew the results of the race.

"Yeah, I did," McQueen replied. "Even though I did lose against Wolff..."

"She did have home-track advantage, you know," Fillmore mentioned.

"I know. I can't wait for Australia. Then we'd see whether it was just talent or the home-track advantage that let her win."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see," Sarge said.

Holley decided to change the subject. "So, wasn't Germany beautiful?"

"It was," Finn replied. "To bad we couldn't go to Oktoberfest, though."

"Yeah," Mater agreed. "That is purty fun!"

"I'm sure that we can come back someday and go to Oktoberfest. Plus, it's not even at this time of year." McQueen reassured his best friend.

"Now, was it just my imagination or did I see that mean green race-car from the Piston Cup?"

"I wish it was your imagination, but it wasn't. He was there. And he is meaner than I remember."

Finn was confused. "Green mean race-car from the Piston Cup?"

McQueen told Finn and Holley about the green race-car. "His name is Chick Hicks, and he was one of the two cars I raced against for the Piston Cup back in 2006. He was, as Mater said, not nice, and he cheated to win. He'd even push other cars off of the track! Not to mention that he is a bully! He insults everyone!"

"That's terrible!" Holley exclaimed.

"I know. Francesco told me that he caused Rip to cry the other day."

"Who's Rip?" Finn asked.

"He's just another one of the race-cars. Looks like Francesco, but has different colours. He's very friendly and happy-go-lucky, but he easily gets emotional. Now, must I explain who Francesco is?"

"No, I'm familiar with him."

"I'd say this Chick Hicks needs some time in boot camp," Sarge stated. "And this Francesco guy...wasn't he mean to you during the World Grand Prix?"

McQueen sighed. "Yeah, he was. Still is, actually. But he's not that bad; he's self-centred more than anything else. And he certainly won't hurt you - physically or emotionally - in the same way Chick Hicks does."

"Hmm...perhaps he needs some time in boot camp as well!"

"I don't think that'd work out as well as you'd hope...don't tell anyone I said this, but Francesco would probably just cry for his mommy."

Everyone on the jet chuckled. Except for Sarge. "Then he'd get extra-harsh work for being a whiner. Not trying to be rude but that's how boot camp works."

"But then he'd cry even more."

"Wait...so is Mr. San Francisco in this race too?" Mater asked.

"Yes, Mater, he is. And so is everyone else from the World Grand Prix."

"So any new cars in the race you haven't seen before?" Fillmore asked.

McQueen smiled, glad to be off the other topic. "Yes. There's Maple the Canadian. She's as sweet as syrup - no pun intended. And there's Crystal the Russian. You don't want to mess with her. Oh, and there's Wolff, the German who beat me in the race. You'd like her, Fillmore; she loves and respects nature, and wolves in particular."

"That's nice to know that there's another environmentalist like me," Fillmore mentioned.

"Hey, guys, I know that you want to talk and all, but I think that it would be a very good idea to get some sleep. Australia is very far away, and you certainly don't want to be tired when we get their," Siddeley advised.

"He's right," Finn agreed. "We need to get some sleep."

Everyone took the jet's advice, and soon enough they were all asleep.

Siddeley turned on his after-burners, and flew to the Land Down Under.

* * *

 **EarthHyena: This chapter does not really contribute to the plot; it only shows what kind of stuff goes on in the jet while in flight. I guess you could say it's a filler chapter.**


	9. G'day Australia

After a who-knows-how-many-hours flight, Siddeley, along with the other jets, landed in Alice Springs, Australia.

"Here we are, Australia!" Belia announced as everybody got off of their jets.

Many of the race-cars couldn't help but comment their thoughts of their first impression of the country.

"Wow, what a fascinating country!"

"Desert as far as the eye can see...wait a minute, I hope we don't race in the desert..."

"Well, where else will we race? The Great Barrier Reef?"

"Actually, there are forests, so we are in luck."

"Australia...I've always wanted to come here!"

"Hey, where are the kangaroos?"

"G'Day, mates! And welcome to Australia, the Land Down Under!" One of the locals greeted.

"G'Day," everybody greeted back.

Schnell instantly recognized the Australian car. "Frosty?!"

The Australian looked towards the German. "Maxy! Yeah, it's me, mate! Frosty the Australian race-car! Not to be confused with Frosty the Snowcar!"

Everyone chuckled. "Yay, I'm not the only funny guy here!" Miguel cheered.

"Actually...that's my only joke. Sorry mate," Frosty said.

"You're accent's funny!" Rip commented.

Shu gave Rip a glare of disapproval.

"That's cause I'm Australian, mate...and we do have an accent..." Frosty informed.

"And it's funny how Australians call everyone 'mate'..."

Shu sighed with frustration, then slapped Rip.

"Oww! Why'd you hit me?" The New Rearendian complained as he rubbed the spot he was whacked in.

"Cause you need to be more respectful," Shu replied.

"I wasn't trying to be offensive; I was just appreciating the Australians!"

Frosty decided to intervine. "Relax, mates. Little dude, don't worry, you're not offending anybody. And Shu, calm down, your mate's not doing anything wrong. Just chill..."

Shu took Frosty's advice, and calmed down. On top of that, he apologized. "Sorry Rip."

As usual, the New Rearendian was willing to forgive. "No problem, buddy! It doesn't hurt now. Plus, that was nuthing! If ya wanna start talking about pain then we should talk about that cactus incident!"

"Cactus incident? What cactus incident, mate?" Frosty asked.

Rip told the story as if it was a comedy. "When we were in the Arizona desert I accidentally backed up into a cactus. You know, those spiky, cool-looking plants with the spines and all? So anyway I had cactus pieces stuck in my rear-bumper and it really really hurt. But that wasn't a huge deal when compared to having my engine exploded at the World Grand Prix! I almost died then."

Frosty was staring at Rip. "Uhh...ok..."

"If you ever want to know why someone calls him weird, this is it," Shu whispered to him.

"I can see, mate," the Australian whispered back. "But at least his outlook on life is always positive. We need more cars like that in this world."

"True."

Chick Hicks was laughing uncontrollably. He decided that this was the perfect time to insult the New Rearendian. "Hey Rip, are you really stupid enough to back into a cactus or did you tell that story just to entertain us?"

Rip avoided Chick Hick's eyes as he replied. "It's true..."

This entertained Chick Hicks even more. "Haha! Man, I wish that I was there to see it! I would of loved to see the look on your face! I'll bet $100 that you were crying like the wimp that you are!"

Rip's eyes started to water. "I did cry...but I'm NOT a wimp!"

"Yes you are; admit it!"

Frosty was now staring at Chick Hicks. "Uhh...is there something wrong with that green car, mates?"

"I think so," Shu replied.

"Yes. Definitely," McQueen added.

Crystal decided to intervene. She drove between Chick Hicks and Rip, and turned her attention to the green car. "Ok, Chick Hicks, you better stop insulting Rip! He's had enough of your bullying!"

Chick Hicks was a little intimidated, but didn't let that stop his bossiness. "And who's gonna stop me?"

"I will. I'll kick your bumper if you continue this."

The threat worked - at least for now. Chick Hicks gave up. "Fine. I'll stop teasing him." He grumpily drove away.

Francesco was staring at Crystal, impressed. Crystal blushed, but quickly hid it from the view of the others. After the blush had disappeared she faced Francesco and the others, who were staring at her. "What? All I can say is, I'm a tough girl."

"Blushing's not a sign of toughness," Miguel teased. "It's a sign of embarrassment...or affec-"

"Oh, shut up Camino!"

Everyone giggled.

"You mates have some very interesting mates with you," Frosty stated.

"Oui. So what's it like living in the Land Down Under?" Raoul asked.

"It's all good chillin', mate," Frosty replied.

"How in the world can you deal with this heat?" Crystal asked.

"The heat? It's something that us Australians are just used to, mate. Though having water with you at all times helps a lot."

"Is Australia completely desert?" Hamilton asked.

"NO, mate! We have alpine mountains and forests and rainforests and savannas, just to name a few."

"But is-a Outback real?" Francesco asked.

"Of course it is, mate! We're in it right now!"

"So Frosty, where are the kangaroos?" Gorvette asked. "Will we get to see them?"

"Kangaroos...of course you'll see 'em, mate!" Frosty said. "You'll see 'em while driving around, you'll see 'em while you race, and if for some weird reason you don't, then I'll take you to the waterhole where you'll always see 'em!"

"What about koalas?" McQueen asked. "Sally would love a picture of one of them."

"Koalas...you'd have to drive all the way to the eastern part of the continent if you wanna see 'em, mate."

"And the Australian Wolves?" Wolff asked.

"Australian Wolves? Oh, you mean dingoes! They're here, you just have to look hard and be patient...but I must warn ya, mate, a lot of 'em are hybrids with our doggies. Sadly, the pure dingo is dying out, just like a lot of our native fauna."

"Can we see Ayer's Rock?" Maple asked.

"Sure, mate!" Frosty said. Then he informed. "And by the way, we call it Uluru now. You know, to respect the Aboriginals."

After he finished jotting down notes on what Frosty said, Chick Hicks grabbed something and raced off. Everyone else followed Frosty into the Outback.


	10. More Competitors

"Well, mates. This is it: Uluru." Frosty pointed out the distinctive red landmark. Everyone stared at it in amazement.

"That is amazing."

"No wonder this place is sacred to the natives."

"It's even more beautiful in life that it is on a postcard."

"Wow."

The Australian listened to his friends' remarks. "I'm glad that you all like it, mates."

"Like it? I love it!" Maple responded.

"That's even better, mate!"

"Hey, if it isn't Frosty the Snowcar!" A voice, with a Mexican accent, exclaimed.

"Where have you been, buddy? We've been waiting for you!" A Swedish voice added.

Frosty looked over to the two cars. "G'day, Memo, Flash. And Memo, I'm not a snowcar!"

Memo Rojas Jr. giggled. "I knows. I was just teasing you."

"Memos!" Rip exclaimed.

"Rippy!" Memo replied, as the two cars drove up to each other. "How has me African friend been doing?"

"Me goody, Memos."

"So I've heard that you have a girlfriend? Tis truey?"

"Yessy!"

"Fools," a Chinese car sighed.

"Oh, come on, Ge, lighten up!" A Spanish car responded. "You're too serious all the time!"

"Fernando is right, especially now that our friends that ran in the World Grand Prix are here - in addition to new friends," a Russian car added.

Crystal smiled, happy to be around another Russian car - one that she knew. "Hi Vitaly!"

Vitaly Petrov waved at the Formula One. "Hey Crystal. Long time no see. How have you been?"

"I've been good. You?"

"I've been good as well."

Miguel tackle-hugged Fernando Alonso. "Hola, Fernando!"

"Hola, Miguel! How's my favorite toreador doing?"

"I'm great! And you?"

"I'm doing awesome, thank you for asking!"

Most of the cars greeted each other as if it was a reunion. Frosty smiled. "I'm glad to see that all you mates get along together!"

"Uhh...not quite..." Wolff pointed to Long Ge.

The Chinese car was staring at Shu. The Japanese car stared back. Neither of them had friendly expressions on their faces. "What are you doing here, Todoroki?" Ge asked.

"I'm here for the Planet Earth Prix. And you?" Shu replied.

"I'm here for that same reason."

"Oh really? Cause, as I recall, I did not see you at all in the first race."

"I forgot that the first race was in Germany, ok!"

"Of course you did. You always do, race-misser!"

"Well, at least I never dishonored my family when I was young, unlike a certain someone that I just happen to be looking at right now!"

Shu remained silent.

"And my parents never had to use the cane on me, not even once! And you?"

The Japanese car finally spoke after a few more moments of silence. "Alright, so I dishonored my family and as a result got beaten for it at times! But that was when I was a misbehaved kid, and I have grown up since then!"

"Ow, that's gotta hurt," Rip said, interrupting the heated conversation between the two Asian cars.

"It did, and that was the purpose of it. But I don't know how it'd compare to a cactus-"

"Cactus!" Memo shouted. "I love cacti!"

Rip smiled. "Me too!"

"I landed on a cactus once while attempting to jump and had spines stuck in me undercarriage. Cause of that everybody finds my liking of the plants to be weird."

"Same here, though had 'em stuck in my bumper!"

"Owies."

"Yeah, it hurty, but I'm fine."

"Those two are weird." Ge looked over at the Japanese car. "But not nearly as much of a pain in the bumper as Todo-

Shu lost his temper. "Why you-"

Raoul grabbed Shu as he was about to bolt towards the Chinese car. "Hey, Shu, relax! Calm down!"

"Let me at him! Let me at him!"

"No! You need to chill!"

"Hey! What's with all of the commotion over here?!" Crystal stormed over.

"He started it!" Shu pointed at Ge. Crystal smacked him. "Ow!"

"Stop acting like a little kid, Shu!"

"Sorry..."

Vitaly confronted the Chinese car. "Hey, Ge, what's gotten into you? Why are you acting nasty all of a sudden?"

"I'm sorry, but he really gets on my nerves," Ge replied.

"Then learn to get along with him! This is supposed to be a friendly competition, not a rivalry contest!"

"Why do you hate him anyway?" McQueen asked. "He's not mean or anything. What did he ever do to you?"

"He caused me to lose my undefeated status! Plus, he's super annoying!" Ge responded.

"Sounds like Crystal and Francesco," Schnell said. "With the undefeated status thing."

"But I...don't hate him," Crystal mumbled.

"Wait a second, what did you just say?" Miguel asked mischievously.

"I said, I don't hate him."

Miguel smiled even more mischievously. "Do you like him?"

Crystal hesitated for a moment, but was saved by the arrival of Belia. "Oh good, you're all here. The next race is in an hour, so we should start heading back to Alice Springs now."

Everyone followed Belia as they drove back to Alice Springs. They all talked among each other, eagerly anticipating the next race.


	11. A Huntin' We Will Go

**Hey everybody, I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry it's been so long! Anyway, here's Chapter 11! The first scene is actually EarthHyena's, which she wrote to give her story one last update, to inform readers of the change.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 _Fools_ , Chick Hicks thought as he grabbed his rifle and drove off into the desert. He was not going to spend pre-race time with the others, not when he could go on a once-in-a-lifetime trophy hunt in Australia.

As Chick Hicks drove around the desert looking for an animal to take, he thought about the other racers. He despised them, the whole lot. Perhaps it was because they were all much younger than him - which meant less experienced - and yet he lost to them. Or maybe it was just because they were all too kind, and treated the races like a friendly game rather than the serious competitions that they were. While he could not single out exactly why he despised the other racers in general, he could certainly pick out reasons for hating certain cars.

McQueen was obvious: if it wasn't for the rookie, Chick Hicks would have been a famous Piston Cup winner. Sure, he won that race those years ago, but all of the attention was on McQueen and his act of kindness towards old whatshisname.

As for Crystal: who was she to think that she can threaten to kick his bumper? Younger cars just do not threaten older cars like that; he'll have to teach her a lesson someday.

Francesco was downright annoying, and also a fragile crybaby. He has sassed him more than once, so he'll also have to teach him a lesson someday.

Then there's Rip: an ignorant, weird, stupid loser. There was nothing else to it. At least he was fun to bully, more so than the others. Chick Hicks wondered why Carla even liked and defended Rip so much. Not that he was fond of her either, though he thought she was sexy.

Wolff was nothing but an illogical wolfaboo. Chick Hicks made a mental note to make sure that she did not discover him hunting. If he harvests a wolf and she found out about it... he would be in for it. The hate and "baawing" would never end.

At that moment, Chick Hicks heard something in the distance. He quickly hid behind a bush, and peeked through it. Not even a hundred feet away was a dingo, sniffing around as it searched for something to eat. _This is perfect_ , Chick Hicks thought. _I'll get a trophy and rid the world of a predator vermin._ He raised his gun and patiently waited for the dingo to come closer. Once it was in the crosshairs, he pulled the trigger...

…...

"Well, here we are!" announced Frosty as he and the other race cars arrived back in Alice Springs, "Here's our hotel! I've been here several times before in my racing career, and let me tell you, it's one of the nicest in the country!"

"Wow!" said McQueen, glancing around at the large windows that stood for walls and the sea blue roofing on the large hotel, "I've never seen anything like this in my life!"

"Look at all those planted cactus!" Memo exclaimed excitedly. "I'm going to love it here!"

"Look at those lights!" said Flash "They make everything so beautiful!"

"Hey look!" cried Raoul, "An outdoor swimming pool!"

"Oh, how fun!" cried Carla, "Let's go for a swim under the stars!"

"Yes!" Miguel agreed.

It was almost completely dark, but the race cars had no trouble trying to find their way into the pool area, thanks to a trail of lighted candles. They each took turns jumping in.

"Last one in is a rotten egg!" cried Raoul as he took a dive off the edge.

"Not so fast!" shouted Miguel as he jumped in after him.

"Wheeee!" screamed Carla as she jumped in next.

"Ka-chow!" cried McQueen as he dived in next.

"Ciao!" shouted Francesco as he dived in. He was followed by all the others—except Rip.

"Hey Rip? Aren't you gonna join us?" asked Fernando.

"Yeah!" Flash chimed in, "Don't you wanna jump in?"

Rip glanced around nervously. Shaking, he held his breath and jumped in. He popped out of the water like a cork and began flailing his tires round and splashing nervously.

"What's wrong, Clutchy?" asked Carla, concerned.

"I can't swim!" poor Rip cried, "I'm afraid I'm going to sink!"

At those words, Shu drove out of the pool, fetched a float, and tossed it to Rip, who clung to it tightly.

Sympathetic, Carla swam over to him and patted his side. "It's OK, Clutchy," she said, "Just relax and have fun!"

"Hey, look at you float!" cried Fernando.

"Look at you go!" cheered Memo.

"Yay, Rip!" shouted Flash.

"Way to go!" McQueen exclaimed.

Rip smiled and blushed, not used to having so much attention from his fellow racers.

"Dad-gum! Hey there, buddy!" shouted Mater as he swam over to McQueen.

Lightning laughed. "I can always count on my best friend to show up wherever I am."

"Dad-gum right!" said Mater. "How's 'bout a ball game?" He held up a blue rubber ball with his hook. "Catch!" he shouted, throwing the ball at Lightning.

Lightning laughed and swung his bumper, kicking the ball back to Mater, who threw it back to Carla. "Haha!" she cried triumphantly. She tossed the ball to Raoul.

"ÇaRoules! Ça-Rules! Hahaha!" he cried, kicking the ball back to Lightning.

The cars played for several minutes, before Belia arrived and told them it was time it turn in. The cars got out, shook themselves off, and followed Belia into the hotel lobby.

"Well, here we are!" said Belia as she led the cars down the hall where their rooms were. "I wish you all a good night, and sleep well, as you're gonna need to get up early tomorrow."

The racers bid their goodnights and departed down the hall. Lightning and his crew drove into their room. Lightning drove onto his bed an plopped down. "Ah. Feels good to rest after all that excitement."

"Indeed," said Finn. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go take a carwash and get that chlorine washed off."

Finn was just about to go when all of the sudden a loud _BANG!_ tore through the silence, followed by a loud, pain-filled squeal. All of the cars jumped.

"What was that?!" asked McQueen, his eyes darting around the room, frantically.

"I don't know!" said Finn, "let's find out."

The cars rushed out the door and into the lobby, where the other racers were peeking out from their rooms, looking concerned. Wolff and Crystal, however, were standing in the middle of the hallway with Belia, looking very much concerned. Or rather, Belia looked concerned. Wolff and Crystal looked angry.

"What happened?" asked Lightning.

"I heard a noise." said Miguel.

"It was loud!" said Raoul.

"It sounded like a gunshot!" exclaimed Max.

"It woke me up!" protested Memo.

"And I thought I heard an animal cry!" added Carla, who was desperately trying to calm a very frightened and shaking Rip.

"You don't think one got shot, do you?" he asked.

Another shot fired, causing all the cars to jump. Another squeal, more painful than the last sounded.

Wolff's body tensed. "That sounded like a wolf!"

"It might be a hunter," said Frosty, "Trophy hunting is big around here, I'm afraid."

Wolff's face changed from purple to red. "Well, as long as _I_ am here, no one is going to get away with killing an endangered wolf that did nothing wrong!"

With that, the German car took off down the hall and out the double doors.

"Come on, we'd better follow!" said Finn as he took off after her. Everyone else followed. McQueen, however, hesitated. Then it dawned on him. _Where is Chick?_

The red race car revved up his engine and took off after them.

…...

Chick lowered the smoking rifle and grinned triumphantly at the dingo lying on its side. All it took was two shots to rid the world of another pesky animal—and gain a good price at that. _Brilliant,_ he thought, _now, I'll go turn it in and get its pelt!_

But just as Chick was beginning to advance on the motionless Australian wolf, a sudden flash of headlights and sounds of roaring motors overcame him. He spun around to see several angry faces illuminated by several pairs of headlights. He immediately recognized the car in the lead.

Wolff.

Chick immediately hid the rifle. "Uh...hey! What's up?"

Wolff glared at the green car. "All right, Chick, what are you doing out here?"

"Nothing!" replied Chick hastily.

Wolff drove closer to him and cast a cold glare into his eyes. "You are lying. I can tell by the look on your face. Just tell me what you are doing!"

"Nothing!" Chick protested.

Crystal then drove forward. "Tell the truth or I'll kick your bumper!"

Chick just stared, saying nothing.

Wolff glanced behind Chick. In the dim light of the almost-faded sunset, she could make out something furry lying on its side. Her eyes narrowed. "Chick," she said in a dangerously low voice, "what is that thing lying behind you?"

"Nothing!" cried Chick, jumping in front.

Wolff shoved him aside and drove over to the lifeless dingo. The male Australian wolf lay on his side with a bleeding bullet wound in its chest.

Wolff's face was as red as a beet. She spun around and glared angrily at Chick. "You!" she screamed, "How DARE you shoot an endangered species of wolf! Of all the dirty things you've done since you've participated in this series of races, you just HAD to go and shoot a perfectly innocent Australian wolf that did nothing wrong. NOTHING! Chick, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Well, I didn't want to!" Chick protested, "It tried to attack me, so I had to shoot it!"

"Lies!" screeched Wolff, "You did this to get back at me for beating you back in Germany, didn't you? Admit it!"

Chick's face whitened. _She knows!_

McQueen drove up to him. "You hit The King and sent him flying off the track," he said slowly, "You forced him into retirement. You could have killed him. I bet you wouldn't have cared less if he had died. My old mentor and pit crew chief got forced into retirement when he was young because of a Studebaker who had the same morals as yours—winning, even if it means cheating or hurting someone else. Like The King, my mentor, Doc Hudson, too, almost died and had to retire. And even I almost ended up turning out like you, and if it hadn't been for my friends, I probably would have. What about the time when you helped Axlerod, Professor Z and his lemons try to kill the World Grand Prix racers? It wouldn't surprise me in the least if you did kill that dingo just to get back at Wolff for winning while you were in last place. So why don't you just admit it?"

"Well, I, uh..." stammered Chick.

Crystal drove up to him and glared. "If you don't fess up, I'm going to fetch the police and have them beat the truth out of you!"

Chick sighed, annoyed, knowing he couldn't afford any more bad publicity. "Fine. I did it. So what? Just getting rid of another pest."

"For a profit," Wolff said bitterly. Her eyes narrowed as she examined the Australian wolf. She looked up. "Fortunately, he is not dead. But I shall call upon the spirits of the deceased wolves to help his recovery."

 _This should be interesting._ McQueen thought.

Wolff glanced up the sky. Closing her eyes, she began to chant in a low, slow voice. The words were in German.

"What's she saying?" McQueen whispered to Max.

"She is saying, 'Great Wolf spirits, please help this wolf to heal and recover after what this horrible monster has done to him. Give him the strength to carry on, and the power to heal." Max translated.

Wolff touched the dingo's head with her tire. Suddenly its ears twitched and its head moved. The other cars gasped. The dingo then whimpered and raised its head slightly.

"Look!" whispered McQueen, "The dingo-it's alive!"

"Le gasp!" muttered Raoul.

"Whoa," muttered Fillmore quietly.

"Wow!" said McQueen, "You did that, Wolff?"

"No, not me," said Wolff, "The spirits. Because I have a connection with wolves and their souls, I can call on them to help heal when needed."

"Amazing," said McQueen. Until he had taken this Planet Earth Prix trip, he never would have thought that wild animals could have such powers.

Belia pulled out her cell phone. "I will call the nearest vet to come and take the dingo."

"Good idea." said Wolff. She turned to see all the racecars staring back with amazed expressions—except Chick, who had a mixture of annoyance and fear on his face. It wasn't long before a van and a couple of pitties came and helped load up the animal to take to the vet's place.

"Well, I'm glad that's done." muttered Crystal as the van drove away.

"Excuse me," said Belia, "But as you can see, it is almost daylight, and our race is in only a few hours! I highly suggest we all get back to the hotel and try to get some sleep before our race. I want everyone well rested."

"Yes, Belia!" said the racers.

"All right then. Let's go," she said. "Sleep well!"

One by one the cars filed out of the desert. Chick was last in line. Belia held out her tire to stop him.

"Hold it, Chick. I want to talk to you."

"About what?" the Chevrolet/Buick asked, annoyed.

Belia's face was stern. "Chick, what you did is against the Planet Earth Prix rules and uncalled for. We're supposed to be racing to help save nature, not destroy it. I'm afraid I'm going to have to impose a consequence. I'll have to talk to the race supervisors." She snatched the rifle from him. "I'm warning you, this might get you disqualified from the race. Until then, you can run in this race—but I am going to reduce your paycheck and your points. Is that clear?"

"Very," growled Chick.

"Good," said Belia. "Now you may go."

Chick's face was as dark as a thundercloud as he drove back to the hotel. _If that stupid wolfaboo hadn't interfered with my plan, I could have gotten a nice pelt. Now all I got is reduced pay, points, and possible disqualification, thanks to that French car._

Now Chick was more determined than ever to get back at the other racers—and Belia. He just had to think of another good plan he could pull of without getting caught. But for now, he was just going to focus on today's race. Then he'd decide what to do with the other racers.

 **Well, that's Chapter 11 for you! I hope you are all enjoying the story so far! As stated above, the scene where Chick shoots the dingo is EarthHyena's, so all that credit goes to her. Also, the part where McQueen mentions Chick helping Axlerod and Professor Z, is actually a reference to EarthHyena's story Revenge. If you haven't read it yet, by all means go check it out, it's a really cool story!**

 **Anyway, I do want to let people know that I will be going into college next month, so it may be awhile before the story gets updated again. Until then, it shall be my summer priority. Believe it or not, this is actually not the first** _ **Cars**_ **fanfic I've written, but it IS the first I've posted, and it actually isn't even mine! How's that for a first? :)**

 **A great many thanks to EarthHyena for critiquing—it is really appreciated.**

 **See you next time!**

 **~Sandra**

 **P.S. I originally posted this under my old username Martina Ross, just so you know. I changed it to Agent Sandra Cartrip because I wanted a more _Cars-_ sounding name. **

**P.P.S: That's funny right there! (To quote Mater!) :)**


	12. The Australian Race

**Hey I'm back! Sorry this took so long! I've been so busy preparing for college—I have just started—plus I had a touch of writer's block on this story, so I decided to take a break. When I went back I suddenly had some great ideas that I couldn't write down fast enough! Anyway, I was determined to get in one last chapter before school started. Here it is!**

It was the day of the race. Lightning McQueen's eyes fluttered as a small ray of sunlight shone through the window curtains. He tried to get back to sleep; however, his comrades were already up and about.

"Rise and shine, soldier!" barked Sarge as he flung the curtains open. "Up and at 'em!"

"Can't I sleep in just a little while longer?" pleaded Lightning.

"Nope!" said Mater as he drove by his bed. "Time to get up, McQueen!"

McQueen closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

"MORNIN' SLEEPIN' BEAUTY!"

"AAAAAHHHH!" McQueen screamed, jumping upwards. "Mater!" he shouted, "You don't have to scare me like that to get me up!"

"Yep, yer awake now," said Mater, "C'mon buddy, let's get somthin' ta eat, den we's gotta get to da racetrack!"

At the word "racetrack" McQueen jumped up. "I almost forgot! I'm coming!" he cried, zooming towards the door. Everyone else followed—except for Finn, who still lay in bed asleep.

"Hurry!" cried Luigi, "Or we'll-a miss-a the race!"

Finn, who looked rather dishevelled with circles under his eyes and a string of drool hanging from the edge if his mouth, groaned and opened his eyes. "What...Oh!" he cried, jumping up. "I'm terribly sorry. I was so tired from last night that I completely lost all track of time." he wiped off the saliva and followed the other cars out the door to the cafeteria."Let's get some breakfast. Right now, a hot breakfast and some coffee would be greatly appreciated—or even just a can of hot oil." 

…..

After breakfast, Lightning McQueen met up with the other racers at the Australian Outback. Judging from the fact that all the racers had tired looks on their faces, he figured that they hadn't gotten much sleep, either.

"Hello, everyone!" Belia greeted. "Welcome to the Australian Outback race! I hope you're all not too tired from last night."

The racers groaned. Rip, Raoul, McQueen, and Max yawned.

Belia smiled sympathetically. "I know you're all exhausted, but please, just try your very best. Then you can rest for the rest of the day. All right?"

The racers brightened slightly at that.

"All right then," said Belia, "come, let's line up!"

The racers drove to the starting line. As the flag waved the racers began revving up their engines.

Okay, focus, thought Lightning. He shut his eyes tightly. _Speed, I am speed..._

"McQueen! Wake up!"

"Huh?" McQueen snapped his eyes open to see Francesco shaking him. "You were asleep, McQueen. You was-a lucky that Francesco did not-a take off without you."

"If this had been while we were racing I know you would have." grumbled McQueen.

"Attention everyone!" Belia called. "The race is about to begin. Remember, no cheating, be respective of your fellow racers, stay on the track, be careful not to run over any wildlife, and _do not_ purposely crash another car-" she cast a long, stern glance at Chick. "Chick Hicks, this especially means you, considering what you did last night."

The crowd gasped.

"What did he do?" a grey Dodge SUV reporter shouted out.

"I'll explain after the race," said Belia. She turned back to the racers and smiled. "Have fun! Time for countdown!"

The race-cars started their engines as the lights went on. "Five, four, three, two, one...And they're off!"

The lights turned green and the racers sped down the track. Dirt sprayed everywhere as the cars fought for the first position. McQueen was far ahead, but Francesco, taking advantage of his opponent's exhaustion, sped ahead. Frosty, having driven on this track for may years, stayed by McQueen. Even though he was tired, McQueen couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as he drove past green desert brush, kicking up orange dust.

"Hey, quit getting' dirt in my eyes!" Chick yelled as he sped forward. In doing so he sprayed Rip in the face.

"Ouch!" the New Rearendian exclaimed. "Hey, that hurt!"

"Serves you right, you little wuss." shouted Chick as he shot ahead.

Carla revved up her engine and drove up to Rip. "Are you OK?" she asked.

"My eyes sting!" cried Rip, "That mean car sprayed dirt in my face!"

"Why that big bully!" exclaimed Carla, "I'm going to tell the race officials after this! Do you want me to call the medical crew?"

Rip blinked. "No...I-I'm OK, now."

Carla wished she could confront Chick, but she knew she couldn't afford to stir up any more trouble, so she stayed by Rip's side.

Meanwhile Crystal was catching up to Chick. "Chick Hicks!" she yelled above the roar of engines, "That was cheating! You had no right whatsoever to do that!"

Chick swore in his mind, knowing that he was really in for it now. "Yeah, yeah, whatever!" he shouted as he sped ahead.

Wolff's engine roared as she raced after Chick. There was simply no way she was going to lose to this would-be-wolf-killer!

Meanwhile, Shu was behind Miguel, who was almost neck-and-neck with Fernando, who was in fifth place. Shu roared past them. Momentarily, he was pleased as he passed a surprised Chick reached fourth place behind McQueen, Frosty and Francesco, who were jockeying for first. However, his smile fell when a certain orange-red car drove up beside him.

"So, think you can beat me, eh?" said the racer.

Shu frowned. "Yes, Long Ge, I can beat you any day, you lazy racer!"

Long Ge glared. "I shall not be spoken to in this manner, dishonorable racer!"

Shu was deeply offended. "How dare you talk to me that way, you cursed-"

Long Ge sped ahead, abruptly cutting off Shu, who cursed at himself for not paying attention. He sped forward.

Meanwhile Memo, Vitaly, and Flash were all fighting for sixth place, with Gorvette and Hamilton behind them. Schnell, Raoul, and Maple followed them. For several minutes the racers pressed on, passing various brush and grass stubs. McQueen's engine roared as he began to speed past Francesco.

"Stop!" a Southern accented voice shouted through the P.A. system, "Hold it, everyone!"

All the cars skidded to a complete stop. A rumbling sound was heard from a distance.

"What was that?" asked McQueen.

"Was it thunder?" asked Memo.

"Is it-a going to rain?" asked Francesco nervously. "Francesco does not-a want to get wet."

"Weakling!" taunted Chick.

McQueen glared at him. "That was not necessary."

"I don't think that's thunder, you guys," said Miguel. "It's-"

All of a sudden a blur of black, bay, grey, chestnut, dun and palomino whooshed past the race-cars, their manes and tails flying like streaks and their hooves kicking up dust as they whooshed past the race cars.

"Horses!" exclaimed Rip.

"They're wild!" added Raoul.

"Like Mustangs!" said McQueen.

"These are Brumbies." said Frosty, "Like your Mustangs, they run free, but occasionally they are rounded up and sold."

The horses left, and the cars resumed their racing, with Wolff, Crystal, McQueen, Frosty, Francesco, and Rip taking the lead.

The track had started out smooth, but became bumpier and bumpier as the racers pressed on. The racecars were dodging plants, lizards and other small animals in their path. The wind was blowing and sending dust into their eyes.

Chick growled and spat out dirt. _I can't see a darn thing!_ But then he also realized the other racers couldn't either. _Perfect! h_ e thought, _Now I can crash another racer and make it look like an accident!_

Chick squinted and tried to see who he should take out. He didn't want to mess with Wolff again, so he passed her and Crystal as he tried to look for an easy victim. He saw Rip, Francesco, and McQueen ahead, all three neck-and-neck. _Brilliant,_ he thought, _now I can out all three of them and make it look like an accident._

Chick swerved into Francesco's blind spot and bumped the Italian race-car from the right side, causing him to crash into Rip. Chick raced through, bumping into McQueen's side. The red race car skidded across the track. He suddenly realized he was about to crash into Raoul and Maple. He braked as hard as he could, but couldn't stop himself from getting into their path. "Watch out!" he cried.

Raoul, being a rally car, was able to jump over McQueen, and Maple managed to drive out of the way. McQueen skidded in circles before finally crashing into Rip, who spun into a prickly pear cactus patch. "OOOWWW!" he cried out.

"Dad-gum!" Mater shouted into his headset. "McQueen, are ya all right?"

"I'm fine, Mater." said McQueen, who was lying on his side, "Just stuck on my side."

"Sarge is getting help." said Mater, "Just hang in there!"

McQueen glanced up and gasped, noticing Francesco was on his side and Rip was stuck in a patch of prickly pear cacti. "Francesco! Rip! Are you guys all right?" he asked.

"I-I think so!" Rip called back shakily. "But I'm stuck, and these spikes hurty!"

"Francesco is-a hurting, but he thinks he will-a be fine!" the red Formula One called back.

McQueen breathed a sigh of relief. "Mater, better make that three tow trucks and a doctor." he said, "Rip is stuck and Francesco is down."

"They're on their way!"

It was just then Carla and Shu drove up, but quickly stopped when they saw the three crashed cars. "Oh no, are you guys OK?" asked Carla, concerned. She rushed to Rip. "Clutchy, are you all right?"

Rip nodded, tears streaming down his face. "I think so," said the New Rearendian, "But it hurts!"

"There, there now," said Carla, kissing the orange and green car on the cheek. "It will be OK."

"Help is on the way." said Shu. "I'll stay until they arrive."

"We've got a red flag!" one of the announcers, a steel grey Chevrolet Monte Carlo with a Southern accent, called out.

"Three of our racers are down!" a dark blue Ford Mustang said.

"Here comes the crew now!" a forest green Jaguar E-type with a British accent said.

Three tow trucks and a couple of doctors rushed to the injured racers. Two of them worked on pushing McQueen and Francesco upright, while the third tow truck pulled a screaming Rip out of the cactus patch. Once they were safely off the track, the doctors immediately began pulling out Rip's cactus spikes. "Ouch! Ow!" Rip couldn't stop shouting.

"It's OK, Clutchy," said Carla, who was holding his tyre, "It will be over soon."

"But it really hurts!" Rip protested.

"Just hold on," said the white Mini Cooper carefully pulling out the spikes. "I'm almost done."

"Youch!"

"Last one!"

"OOOWWW!"

"All done!"

Rip shakily sighed in relief.

"Now, I'm going to put this ointment on your injuries," said the doctor, "it will help prevent infection and they will heal faster. This might sting a little. "

Rip winced as the doctor rubbed the medicine along his spore spots and applied some bandages so the dirt wouldn't get into the wounds. Carla kissed the orange racer's cheek. "You're so brave, you know that?"

Rip stared. "I am?"

"Yes, you are!" smiled Carla.

"You should be OK to race," said the Mini, "But if you start feeling sick, please tell me right away."

"OK!" said Rip, "Thanks!" He and Carla quickly sped back onto the track.

Meanwhile another doctor was tending to McQueen and Francesco. "You're both fine except for a few scrapes and bruises." he said, "You may finish the race, but then I need you both to come to the hospital so we can get you checked out."

"OK!" said McQueen as he and Francesco sped off.

"Francesco is-a glad he can-a finish the race." said Francesco as he and Shu drove off.

Shortly after the racers had successfully made it back onto the track, the blue pick-up truck waved his green flag and the racers resumed.

…..

Meanwhile Chick Hicks was almost in first place. However, he still had Jeff, Lewis, Long Ge, Vitaly, Memo, Fernando, Frosty, and Flash to beat. The green race car inwardly groaned. It was painfully obvious that these racers were just as, if not more, experienced than he was.

Pushing himself forward, Chick flew past Vitaly, Long Ge, and Memo and was almost touching Fernando's bumper. By now the older race-car was starting to tire, but refused to slow down. He was _not_ going to lose this race!

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye Chick saw something red getting closer. He realized it was Lightning McQueen, who had gotten out of the rut and was quickly gaining. _Oh no!_ he thought, _Now I'm really in for it!_

In his mind he could hear his voice scolding him for not paying better attention. He could also hear his father's insults, the words like ice.

" _We ain't got time to coddle losers! This is a family of WINNERS! You'd BETTER shape up and start winning—OR ELSE!"_

Chick was so busy thinking about what his father would say if he saw how he was doing that he didn't notice McQueen driving closer to him. McQueen, taking advantage of Chick's distraction, zoomed ahead, beating Jeff, Lewis, Fernando, Frosty, and Flash as if they were standing still. Chick's face turned from green to red at being taken advantage of. To make matters worse, he saw yet another race-car—a red Formula 1—zoom past him at top speed.

"HA HA!" the Italian laughed, "You may be fast, but you are-a no match for Francesco! You may have-a run him off road, but he can-a still beat your cry-baby bottom any day!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-"

But Francesco was already too far ahead for Chick to finish his insult. Even worse, Crystal, Wolff, Rip, Shu, and Carla were only a few feet away from his bumper.

"Oh great!" he muttered, "Just great!"

He revved up his engine and continued to push ahead. Despite his attempts, Crystal, Wolff, Shu, Carla, and Rip had no trouble getting close enough to pass him. Wolff, casting him a disdainful look, sped past him, along with Crystal, Shu, Carla, Rip, and several other race cars. Chick took off after them.

Meanwhile McQueen, Francesco, Frosty, Flash, Fernando, Jeff, and Lewis where fighting for first place. It wasn't long before the white banner came into view.

"There's the finish line!" exclaimed McQueen excitedly. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't help but feel excited as he got closer to the finish.

"Francesco will-a see you at the finish line," the Italian race car said, "You will-a see him in the winner's circle."

McQueen rolled his eyes. Finally it was time for the home stretch. With a final burst of speed he sped forward, putting all of his focus on finishing the race.

"Ladies and gentlecars, Lightning McQueen has won the Australian Outback race of the Planet Earth Prix!" Belia announced as the crowd burst into a roar of applause.

McQueen skidded to a stop at the finish line, with Francesco and Frosty falling into second and third, respectively. He panted from exhaustion, but his chassis shook with excitement. "I can't believe it! I won! I won!"

"Si, you won this race," said Francesco, who was also exhausted from his ordeal. "But next time it will-a be Francesco who-a wins."

"We'll see." said McQueen.

"OK, everyone!" said Belia. "We will be posting the scores in a few minutes!"

It wasn't until after everyone had crossed the finish-line when the results were posted. The following appeared on the large screen:

1st: Lightning McQueen.

2nd: Francesco Bernoulli

3rd: Mark "Frosty" Winterbottom

4th: Jeff Gorvette

5th: Lewis Hamilton

6th: Fernando Alonso

7th: Jan "Flash" Nilsson

8th: Marlena "Wolff" Wolfsburg

9th: Crystal Skorost

10th: Carla Veloso

11th: Rip Clutchgoneski

12th: Shu Todoroki

13th: Long Ge

14th: Memo Rojas, Jr.

15th: Raoul ÇaRoule

16th: Maple Foret

17th: Vitaly Petrov

18th: Max Schnell

19th: Miguel Camino

20th: Chick Hicks

…..

"Wow! I can't believe ya won da race!" exclaimed Mater as he and the others drove over to congratulate McQueen on his win. "Good work, buddy!"

"Fantastic job, McQueen," said Finn, "You did very well."

"We're all proud of ya, son," said Sarge, "And I'm sure Doc would have been, too."

"And Miss Sally!" added Mater.

"Thanks, you guys," said McQueen. "I'm glad I have such a supportive pit crew."

"Over 5 years ago you couldn't have cared less," said Sarge, "But you've changed, and it's for the better."

"Congratulations on your win, mate," said Frosty as he drove over and shook tyres with McQueen.

"Thank you," said McQueen.

"That was fabulous!" exclaimed Raoul.

"Not bad!" said Schnell.

"That was so cool!" cried Maple.

"Indeed!" agreed Memo.

"Fantastico!" cried Fernando and Miguel in unison.

McQueen smiled. "Thank you, thank you," he said as the other racers finished giving their congratulations.

Wolff was the last car in line. She nodded approvingly. "You didn't do a bad job, McQueen," she said, "You raced very well. I respect that."

"Thank you, Wolff," said McQueen sincerely, "That really does mean a lot too me. You did a very good job, yourself."

"Thank you," said Wolff, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go talk to Belia." With that she drove off.

Francesco drove up to McQueen. "Francesco must admit, you were not-a bad at all. But next time Francesco will-a win."

"We'll see," said McQueen, who was in no mood for arguing.

Just then a throat cleared behind him. McQueen turned to see a white Mini Cooper standing behind him. "Pardon me," he said, "Mr. McQueen, Mr. Francesco, I would like you to come to the hospital with me so we can get you checked out. Mr. Clutchgoneski and the other racers are already on their way."

"All right," said McQueen as he and Francesco followed the doctor off the track.

"Meet ya there, buddy!" called Mater as he and the others departed.

McQueen smiled as he and Francesco followed the doctor to the nearest hospital. _I really am lucky to have such supportive friends,_ he thought to himself. _The King was right. I can keep on winning, as long as my friends are behind me and we stick together._

 **And there's Chapter 12! Finally! This one was a tough yet fun write!**

 **I would like to let people know that I am in college now, so it may be awhile before I update this. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story! Agent Sandra Cartrip, signing out!**


	13. Visiting Nigel

**Hello! I am finally back with a new chapter! It's really short, just a filler, but I wanted to get something up. College has been pretty steady lately, so I managed to take out some time to write this! Please read and review!**

"OK, hold still, Mr. Clutchgoneski." said the white Mini Cooper at the hospital, "I'm going to give you this shot to help prevent you from getting an infection."

Rip whimpered and shrunk lower on the examination table. "Do I have to get one?" he asked, "They hurt!"

"Yes, it will hurt, but it is necessary." said the doctor, "If I don't give it to you, the injury could get worse, and it could get infected."

Rip's face went white and his eyes widened.

Carla smiled sympathetically at Rip. "Would you like it if I held your tyre, Rip?"

Rip nodded. "Sure."

The doctor held up the needle. "OK, on the count of three I will administer the injection. Are you ready?"

Rip nodded, clutching Carla's tyre tightly.

"One...two...three."

"OOOWWW!"

"Done!"

"See?" said Carla, "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

Tears streamed down Rip's face. "I guess not," he sniffed.

The doctor placed a bandage on Rip's hood. "There we are. It's going to sting for a little while, but it should feel better by the time you go to bed. If not, please call me right away."

"OK." said Rip. He started to get up but quickly collapsed onto the table.

"What's wrong?" Carla asked.

"I feel dizzy." replied Rip.

The Mini Cooper handed him a glass of water. "Drink this slowly," he advised, "and don't get up until the dizziness has passed."

The New Rearendian gripped the cup with his shaky tires as he sipped the water slowly. "T-thank you," he stuttered when he finished.

"Feel better?" asked the doctor.

"Yes," said Rip.

"Can you get up?"

"I-I think so."

Rip slowly eased himself off the table with Carla's help. "Thank you," he said.

"All better, Clutchy?" asked Carla.

"Yes." said Rip.

"Good!" said the doctor, "I think your friends are waiting outside for you. Just take it easy, all right? You'll be fine."

"OK!" said Rip as he followed Carla out of the examination room. "Thank you!"

Meanwhile Team McQueen and the other racers—minus Chick-were parked in the waiting room. They jumped up when they saw Rip and Carla enter. "Hey, Rip, how are ya?" asked Fernando.

"Did you get hurt too bad?" asked Memo.

"No," said Rip, "I'm OK. But I'm sore because the doctor had to give me a vaccination and it hurt!"

"Oh, Rip!" sympathized Memo. "I'm so sorry about that!"

"But it's OK!" added Miguel, "now you're going to be all right."

"Of course!" agreed Carla.

Rip grinned sheepishly and glanced around the room. "Where are Lightning and Francesco?" he asked.

"They're getting looked at," said Jeff, "they should be out any time now."

Just then McQueen and Francesco appeared. "Hey guys!" greeted McQueen.

"McQueen! Francesco!" Lewis greeted, "How are you guys?"

"Were they rough with you back there?" asked Finn jokingly.

"Nah, we were fine," said McQueen.

"Si, we are fine," Francesco chimed in.

"That's so good to hear!" said Maple.

"Oui!" said Raoul, who was parked next to Maple, holding her tire.

McQueen scanned the room. "Where are Belia, Wolff, and Crystal?" he asked.

"Outside the hospital dealing with the reporters," replied Holley, "Most likely questioning them about what happened in the race."

"I see," said McQueen. He parked against a wall cushion and began flipping through a magazine.

It wasn't long before Belia, Wolff, and Crystal appeared, all looking weary.

"How'd it go?" asked McQueen.

"Oh, they were inquiring about the accident and whether or not Nigel would be able to participate in the next race." said Belia.

McQueen nodded. "I see." His eyes suddenly perked. "Hey! Why don't we all pay Nigel a visit?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Memo, jumping up. "Let's do it!"

The others agreed.

"All right then!" said Belia, "Let's go check on him!"

….

A few minutes later the racecars and their friends entered Nigel's room. The green British race car was parked comfortably on his bed, drinking some water and watching _Animal Planet_. He glanced up when he saw the other cars.

"Hey, Nigel!" greeted McQueen, pulling up next to him, "We thought we would come by and pay you a visit. How are you feeling?"

"A little better," he replied. "My hood doesn't hurt as much. I do feel pretty tired, though. The doctor gave me some medicine a while back. How did your race go?"

"Just fine," said McQueen, "I won the race, although Chick did tip me and Francesco and send Rip into a cactus patch."

Memo glanced over at Rip. "You were in a cactus patch?" he asked excitedly, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I guess I was so scared I forgot," Rip admitted, "I thought I was going to crash into someone!"

Nigel shook his hood. "That Chick really needs some discipline."

"I say he needs to be doing rough labour in boot camp!" agreed Sarge.

"Anyway, congratulations on your win," said Nigel.

"Thank you!" said McQueen.

"By the way," asked Frosty, "When did the doc say he'd let you out?"

Nigel shrugged. "He's not sure. He thinks he may be able to release me soon, but isn't sure when I can race again."

"I hope they let you out soon!" said Frosty, "I was planning on showing everybody around Australia tomorrow. We're going to see some wildlife. We hope you'll be well enough to join us then, mate!"

"Me too!" said Nigel.

Belia drove forward. "I'm sorry to break up the conversation," she said with a smile, "But we'd best be going. Nigel needs to rest now."

"All right, Belia," said McQueen. He turned to Nigel. "Is there anything else you need?"

Nigel shook his hood, turning off the TV. "I'm fine, thank you," he said. He yawned and snuggled deeper into the blankets. "I'll see you all in the morning. Good night."

"Good night!" called the other racers and their friends as they departed. McQueen left a note on Nigel's nightstand.

"Here's the hotel number in case you need to reach us," he said. "Good night, and I hope you feel better soon!"

"Thank you," replied Nigel. "Good night!"

After all the racers left, Belia turned to Nigel. "Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Nigel, "But I don't know if I will be able to race. The doctor suggested I take it easy for a few days, maybe even weeks."

Belia sighed. "Those reporters are getting crazy," she said, "They've just been bombarding me with questions about your injuries and whether or not you will be participating in the next race."

Nigel smiled tiredly. "That's the press for you. Always sticking their bumpers where they don't belong."

Belia chuckled. "Well, I'd best be going," she said, "You need to rest. Good night!"

"'Night," replied Nigel as Belia left. The door closed, leaving Nigel alone in his room. He turned off the lamp on his nightstand and lay quietly in the dark for a few minutes. He couldn't help feeling worried about his fellow racers. He knew that Chick was an aggressive racer. He knew that he would do anything to snatch first place, even if it meant hurting or even killing another car. He remembered hearing about the time he had deliberately crashed The King. And in this race he had already sent Francesco and McQueen off-road as well as sending Rip into the cactus patch. What worried him more was, if he did manage to get back into the race, Chick could take advantage of his condition and severely injure him, or worse.

Nigel was too tried to worry any more. He rested his bumper on the soft pillow, trying to calm himself with nicer thoughts. He finally closed his eyes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

 **Here's chapter 13! Again, it's just a filler that doesn't really contribute to the plot, but I wanted to update, so I thought now would be a good time to have the cars visit Nigel!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to Cars Crazy Fudge, who has been a faithful reader and reviewer. Fudge-O, I would like to give you a HUGE thank you for adding me to your favourite authors list! I wish you could have seen my face! It really made my day! And it makes me so happy to see your review on my story! I hope you are enjoying it immensely, and I can't wait to read more of Vacation Crashers!**

 **Have a great weekend everyone! Until next time, Agent Sandra Cartrip!**


	14. The Australian Safari

**Hey fans, I just created a NEW Cars forum! It's called Get your Kicks on Route 66! Go check it out, please! Oh, and I also have a beta profile! So if you need story help, just send me a message! :D**

 _Beep! Beep!_

McQueen's eyes fluttered open. "What was that?" he whispered, so not to disturb his sleeping occupants.

 _Beep! Beep!_

"My laptop!" he realized. He quickly drove out of bed as quietly as he could. He lifted up the screen and logged in. The bright light from the computer shined in his eyes and for a moment he was worried that the light would wake up his friends. With the exception of a muffled snort from Luigi and Guido's tossing and turning here and there, all was quiet. McQueen turned the volume on his laptop to low and checked his email. There was nothing.

"Huh?" he muttered.

 _Beep! Beep!_

He glanced down to see his Skype icon blinking. He hovered over it to check the caller ID: Sally Carrera.

"Must be morning back in America," McQueen murmured as he clicked on the "Answer" button.

A powder blue Porsche in an orange background filled the screen. "Hey Stickers!" she greeted with a smile.

McQueen groaned, but couldn't help smiling. "Sally," he said tiredly, "It's like three o'clock in the morning over here!"

"Sorry," Sally giggled, "I forgot that it's night in Australia. It's about 7:30 PM over here. I could call you back later if you want."

"No, no, it's fine," said McQueen, "I just can't stay on too long, my friends are sleeping-"

He was cut off by a loud snore from Mater.

Sally stifled her giggle. "I see Mater's worn himself out!"

"He's had a busy day being my pit crew chief." said McQueen.

"I saw your race on TV," said Sally, "Congratulations on your win!"

"Thanks, Sally," said McQueen. "I only wish you were here with me."

"Me too," said Sally, "but I've got to stay here and run the Cozy Cone and the Wheel Well Motel. Besides, you've travelled for races without me before. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"I know," said Lightning, "But I think you should just take an unofficial vacation someday and come travel with me. You'd love it."

Sally chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. Well, I should probably let you go now. You look exhausted. Take care, now, and try not to get hurt or lost out there."

"I won't," reassured McQueen, "Goodbye, Sally. I love you. And I miss you too."

"Love you, Stickers," said Sally. "I miss you too. Good night."

The screen on McQueen's laptop went dark, indicating that Sally had logged off. McQueen closed the laptop lid and drove back to bed. He had barely closed his eyes before he fell into a sleep that was so deep even Mater's snores couldn't wake him.

….

"McQueen! Wake up!"

McQueen jolted awake. Luigi's brown eyes stared excitedly into McQueen's blue.

"What's up, Luigi?"

"Hurry and get up!" cried Luigi with an excited hop, "Frosty is-a taking us on a safari today!"

McQueen bolted upright. "You're right!" He zoomed out of bed and rushed to wake the others. "Finn! Mater! Sarge! Holley! Fillmore! Get up!"

"Guido, wake up!" said Luigi as he gently shook the little forklift. "We gotta get going soon!"

Guido's eyes opened. "Pit stop?"

"Hurry!" cried Luigi, practically pulling the little forklift out of his bed.

Holley woke up. "Is it morning already?" she asked.

At that, Sarge snapped awake. "UP!" he barked at Fillmore, giving the green VW bus a swat on the side.

"No need to get violent, man," said Fillmore as he rolled out of bed.

McQueen drove up to Finn and shook him. "Finn, wake up!"

Finn was snoring softly. "Must call headquarters...Lemons escaped...stole £1 million in gold..."

"Finn!" McQueen shook him harder. "Up already!"

Finn snorted and looked up. "OH!" he cried, jumping up. "Pardon me. I must have been talking in my sleep again."

McQueen laughed. "Yeah, something about Lemons stealing 1 million pounds or something."

"Da Lemons stealin' how many pounds?!" Mater asked between snores.

McQueen smiled and shook his head. "All right, Mater, time to get up," he said, gently shaking his friend.

Mater shot up and jumped on McQueen. "Goctha!"

McQueen laughed. "Good try, Mater, but you got me."

"Oh!" cried Mater "I'm sorry Lightnin' I thought you was da lemons!"

"You were dreaming, Mater," said McQueen, "Come on, buddy, let's get some breakfast, then we should meet up with the other racers at the hospital. We're going to check on Nigel before Frosty takes us on a safari."

"Dadgum!" said Mater, "Let's go!"

All the racers and their friends piled out of their room and down the hallway to the cafeteria. Jeff waved them over.

"Hey McQueen! Come sit with us!" he called.

"Yeah!" chimed Lewis, "Bring your friends!"

"Hey Jeff! Hey Lewis!" McQueen greeted as he and his friends drove over, having loaded their trays with breakfast.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Jeff.

"Fine," said McQueen, "But Sally Skyped me at like three o'clock in the morning, but then again, it was afternoon back in Arizona."

"Ha!" laughed Lewis "Don't worry about it. My wife called me at like one in the morning and kept talkin' to me for hours!"

"Mine was no better," agreed Jeff.

Just then the rest of the racers arrived at the cafeteria. "Hey!" greeted Frosty as he and the others parked at Team McQueen's table, "Are y'all excited for today?"

"Yes!" McQueen and the others cried out in unison.

"Well, I sure am happy to hear that!" said Frosty.

"Do you think Nigel will be able to come with us?" asked Raoul.

It was just then Belia drove in. "Hey everyone!" Belia greeted, parking at their table, "I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but Nigel will not be coming with us on the safari."

The racecars groaned.

"Aw man," said Lewis, "That's too bad."

"Agreed!" chimed in Jeff.

"Why not?" asked McQueen.

"He's still very exhausted," said Belia, "And he needs to rest if he's going to participate in the next race."

"But we can see him before we go, right?" asked Mater.

"Of course," said Belia. "Let's hurry up and finish eating so we can get going!"

"Are you going to come?" asked Lightning.

Belia shook her hood. "I'm afraid not," she said, "I have to stay here and make sure everything is in order for our next race. But I am sure you will bring back lots of photos."

"Yes!" said the racers in unison.

Belia laughed, "I'm so happy everyone's excited! Now, do you have any questions?"

Wolff raised her tyre. "Yes, I do. Will Chick be coming with us?"

An awkward silence followed.

Belia sighed. "No," she said, "In fact, I will be speaking with him today. What he did yesterday was unacceptable and will be dealt with. I may end up banning him from the race, but if I do that, the press will go nuts. So I'll just have to keep him until I can figure out something."

The racers murmured.

Belia smiled again. "But hey, enough gloomy talk! Let's eat up so you can start your day!"

The racers gladly dug into their breakfast, chatting excitedly about their day.

….

After breakfast the racers drove to the hospital and into Nigel's room, where the Brit was lying on his bed watching TV and eating applesauce. He smiled when he saw the racers. "Hello," he greeted, "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hello, Nigel!" greeted McQueen, "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay," he said, "but I am sorry I will not be able to come on the safari with you."

"We are too," said McQueen. "Look, I'm bringing my Polaroid camera, I'll bring you back some good pictures!"

"And next time we come to Australia on holiday, we'll take you to see the animals!" Raoul promised.

Nigel smiled. "I know you will! Have fun, and stay safe!"

"We will!" promised the racers as they exited.

….

The afternoon was blazing hot. By the advice of Frosty, the racers and their friends all packed sunhats, water bottles, and cameras before heading out to the Australian Outback. Frosty chatted on about the various wildlife as they drove down the dirt road to the waterhole.

"I've been down here many times," he said, "This is the biggest waterhole in the Outback, and animals come from all over here. You'll see kangaroos, emu, Brumbies, maybe some crocodiles!"

"Crocodiles!" cried Rip, hiding behind Shu. "You don't think they'll eat us, do you?"

"Naw, mate," said Frosty, "Not as long as we're careful and keep far away. If you don't bother them, chances are they won't bother you."

"Do we have to worry about-a snakes?" asked Francesco.

"Ya gotta watch out for venomous snakes," warned Frosty, "They do lurk in the desert."

"How much farther is it?" asked McQueen as they ploughed their way through some thick, dense brush.

"Now far now!" exclaimed Frosty, emerging through the brush. "Well, here we are, mates!"

The racers gasped in unison. "Wow!"

In the middle of the desert stood an enormous waterhole. Many animals were crowded around it.

"Look!" exclaimed McQueen, "Emu!"

"And kangaroos!" cried Raoul.

"The baby ones are so cute!" said Memo.

"Sure are!" said Frosty, "We call them joeys."

"Look!" said Miguel, "Brumbies! Just like we saw on the racetrack!"

"Right," said Frosty.

"Guido, look!" cried Luigi excitedly, "Mommies and their babies!"

"Pit stop!" said Guido.

"I'm feeling a lot of life out here man," said Fillmore.

Sarge rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, hippie."

"Can we get some photos?" asked Miguel.

"Of course, mate," said Frosty, "Just move really slowly. They get frightened easily."

The racers and their friends slowly scattered, hiding amongst the bushes near the waterhole.

McQueen slowly pulled out his Polaroid camera. Carefully, he zoomed in on a Brumby drinking out of the water hole. The liver chestnut's tail swished at flies that tried to land on its rump. McQueen snapped a photo.

Francesco's camera zoomed in on an emu. His camera had a flash, which startled the large bird when he snapped a photo. Raoul snapped several pictures of kangaroos, and McQueen managed to get a nice shot of a little joey bouncing to its mother. Miguel got several shots of the different birds that flew overhead, and Memo squealed over the pictures of the hopping mice.

Suddenly one of the horses tensed and snorted. The other animals stiffened. A nearby brush was rustling.

"What's going on?" whispered McQueen as he and the others turned in the direction of the rustle.

Just then a tan dingo walked out of the brush. He made his way slowly to the waterhole and began drinking. The other animals backed away.

Wolff became excited. "Look everyone!" she exclaimed, "It's the wolf we rescued the night before the race!"

"So it is!" said Frosty, "And it looks like he is coming along well, too!"

The dingo finished drinking and looked up at them. Wolff snapped its picture.

Lewis bumped Jeff excitedly as he pointed up to a lizard slivering up a tree. Jeff quickly snapped a picture of it.

Francesco's camera focused in on a flock of birds flying overhead. He backed up, angling his camera so he could get the picture just so, when he backed into Crystal's rear.

"Oof!" she exclaimed, spinning around.

"Sorry!" said Francesco.

Crystal's eyes narrowed. "You didn't do that on purpose, did you?" she demanded.

"Francesco is-a sorry!" said Francesco. "He did not-a mean to hurt you! Are you-a OK?"

A brief shadow flashed across Crystal's face, and for a moment her white face looked a touch red. "I'm fine," she replied. "Thank you." With that, she turned to join the rest of the group.

Meanwhile Finn, Holley, and Mater were parked behind a tree. Finn was behind Mater, who was holding his camera with his tow line, while he and Holley tried to angle it in order to get a perfect shot of a dark bay mare and foal drinking by the stream.

"Remember Mater," Finn said, his voice low, "No sudden moves, or you will scare off the animals."

"OK!" Mater piped excitedly.

"Keep your voice down!" Finn scolded in a whisper.

"Sorry." muttered Mater.

Finn angled the camera carefully, zooming in on the two horses. Once they were in perfect range, he snapped a picture.

"Dad-gum, can I try?" asked Mater.

Finn was uncertain. "Yes," he said finally, "If you promise to be really careful, I will let you."

"Thanks Finn!" Mater smiled as Finn handed him over the camera.

Holley smiled and pointed to some birds in a nest on the tree branch above them. "That would make a lovely picture," she said.

Mater backed up and raised his camera. However, his tow line couldn't reach the button. "Ah, Finn, could ya give me a little help with dis camera?"

Finn glanced up. "All right, Mater," he sighed. Using his strings to grab a low, sturdy branch, he eased himself upwards. He reached out with one tyre to press the button on the camera. "Does it look all right?"

"Perfect!" said Mater, "Press da button, Finn!"

Finn snapped the picture.

"Beautiful!" said Holley.

Finn smiled triumphantly. "Good. Now if I can just get down from here—"

He was cut off by a bird flying up to him and flapping rudely in his face.

"Be off with you!" he shouted, trying to shoo the bird away with his tyre. However, he accidentally let go of the branch he was hanging onto, and he tumbled out of the tree and rolled over on the ground.

"FINN!" shouted Mater and Holley in unison as they rushed over to Finn's side.

"Are you all right?!" asked Holley, worry in her jade green eyes.

Finn coughed and sputtered, spitting out dirt. "I'm fine," he said, "just a little sore. Ouch!"

"Did you break anything?" asked Holley.

Finn shook his head. "I'm all right," he insisted. He tried to stand up, but fell onto his undercarriage. "Oh!"

"Careful!" said Holley, resting a tyre on Finn's side.

"Please, stop fussing over me." complained Finn.

"Ya want me ta tow ya back to da group?" asked Mater.

Finn nodded. "That might not be a bad idea, Mater."

Mater hooked the cable under Finn's undercarriage and began to tow him back to the waterhole.

"Ouch! Stop!" cried Finn.

"What's da matter?" asked Mater, screeching to a halt.

Finn's eyes squinted shut. "I think I may have sprained an axle."

"Do you want me to get the other racers?" asked Holley.

"No, no," said Finn as Mater released him. "I think I'll just hop back."

"Are you sure?" asked Holley.

"Yes," said Finn, holding up his left axle. "I'm sure."

"Very well then," said Holley.

Finn limped back to the waterhole with Mater and Holley on each side of him. Frosty was the first to notice and drove up. "Are you all right there, mate?"

"Yes, I am," said Finn, "I just hurt my axle falling out of a tree."

"For what were you in a tree for?" asked Shu.

"I was trying to photograph some birds," Finn chuckled, "You'd think with all my spy training I would not even know how to fall out of a tree!"

Frosty burst out laughing. "I like your style of humour!"

"Are you sure you are all right?" asked Shu.

"Yes," said Finn, "I am quite all right."

It was just then McQueen and the others emerged from behind the bushes. "Hey guys!" greeted McQueen, "How'd it go?" He stopped short when he saw Finn standing with one axle in the air. "Finn, what happened?!"

"I feel out of a tree while photographing some birds," Finn said sheepishly. "I hurt my axle."

"Do you want us to get you to a doctor?" asked Sarge.

Finn shook his bonnet. "No. I'm all right, really. Just let me rest for a minute."

Frosty handed over his canteen. "Here. Drink some water, mate," he said, "Best stay hydrated in this heat, especially when you are injured."

Finn gulped down the cold water quickly. "Ah, that hit the spot. Thank you," he said as he handed the canteen back.

"Anytime mate," said Frosty as he accepted the canteen. He turned back to the other racers. "Well, I take it you enjoyed our Australian safari?"

"YES!" shouted the racers and their friends in unison.

Frosty laughed. "I'm happy to hear that! Well, I suggest we get back to the hotel and get some lunch. Then we'll go to the hospital and see Nigel. Besides, we should probably get that axle of yours looked at, Finn."

Finn nodded weakly. "Some food sounds good right now," he added with a smile.

"Well then, let's go mates!" said Frosty as he led the way back to the hotel.

The other cars followed, with Mater carefully towing Finn by the front. 

….

"OK, McMissile, hold steady," said the white Mini Cooper as he bandaged Finn's injured axle.

Finn's gritted his teeth and winced. "Ooh."

"Does it hurt?" asked the doctor.

"Yes," said Finn.

"Luckily it's just a sprain," said the Mini, "It will feel better by the time you go to bed. But I do recommend taking it easy for a little while."

Finn nodded and covered a yawn. "I think I may turn in early."

"Not a bad idea," said the Mini as he finished wrapping the axle. "OK. Done."

Finn breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

The Mini gave him a half-smile as he handed Finn a paper bag. "There you are. Inside are some painkillers and extra wrapping. Take two pills before you go to bed. Make sure you do not get your axle wet."

"I won't. Thank you." said Finn, "Thank you."

"Take care!" the Mini called after him.

Finn drove out into the hospital corridor. His axle was not hurting quite as bad thanks to the painkillers, but he still had to drive carefully. He finally made it to Nigel's room and drove in.

"Hello, Nigel," Finn greeted as he drove in, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you," said Nigel, glancing up from his computer screen. Earlier that day Frosty had the racers and their friends upload all their pictures onto their computers and send the pictures via email to Nigel.

Finn chucked as he hobbled in. "I can see you're enjoying your own little virtual safari."

"Oh, yes," said Nigel, "But it is not as good as actually being there."

"Don't worry, mate," said Frosty, "I can take you for a quick drive before we leave tomorrow and show ya around."

"And I vote we all go on holiday here someday!" announced Raoul. "We could spend the whole holiday on safari! And Nigel could come with us!"

"Aw thanks," smiled Nigel.

"Well, if you will excuse us," said Belia, "We best be going."

"OK," said Flash. "Good night, Nigel!"

"Goodnight!" called the other cars.

"Good night," called Nigel as the racers and their friends left.

….

Finn carefully dipped his back tyres into the warm water, wincing slightly as the hot water touched his bumper. He finally managed to back into the bathtub all the way, relaxing as the hot water soothed his aching body. He had to be careful to keep his left axle out of the water, but other than that he was able to enjoy a soothing bath. After getting himself cleaned, he drove out and towelled off. Grabbing a soft, crimson red car sheet, he donned it and drove back to McQueen's room.

"Hello, McQueen," he greeted as he drove in, "What's up?"

McQueen glanced up from his computer screen. "Hmm? Oh, hey Finn. Sorry. I was just answering an email from Sally. She wanted to know how the safari went."

Finn chuckled. "It seems she really misses you."

"She does," said McQueen, "She hates it when I have to go away. And I travel a lot when I race, and she has to stay behind and well, it's pretty rough on her. Sometimes we barely even see each other."

"But you do keep in touch," said Finn, "And I'm sure that means quite a lot to her."

"It does," said McQueen.

It was just then Luigi, Guido, Sarge, Fillmore, Mater, and Holley emerged from their rooms. "We just came to say goodnight," said Holley, covering a yawn.

"All right," said McQueen, shutting his laptop lid. "I think we should all turn in."

There was a soft tap at the door and Belia drove in. "Hello everyone!" she greeted warmly, "I've just finished telling the other racers about our next location."

"And where is that?" asked McQueen.

"Your next race will be in the Pacific Islands!" Belia announced.

"Oh, boy!" said Mater, "I gotta bring my coconuts! Say, Holley, how'd ya like ta wear some flowers and a grass skirt and some coconuts on yer headlights?"

"MATER!" cried Holley, shocked.

Mater giggled. "Hey, we never did git around to our first date. Why not there?"

"Oh, Mater, I love that idea!" said Holley.

Belia laughed. "I'll totally keep that in mind for after the race! Well, I suggest you go to bed now, as we have to leave early tomorrow. See you in the morning!"

"Good night!" called the other racers as she left.

Finn yawned and crawled into bed. "Well, I'm turning in," he said, flicking off the light. "Good night," he called, settling under the covers.

"Good night," said the others as they all drove to their beds and went to sleep.

All except McQueen.

"Hey buddy, ain't ya tired?" Mater asked sleepily.

"Yeah," sighed McQueen, settling into bed.

"Ya all right?" asked Mater.

"I'm fine," said McQueen.

But McQueen was feeling bothered. Two major things were on his mind.

First, he wondered if Chick Hicks would be competing in the next race. That always meant bad news.

Second, he still wanted to get a koala picture for Sally. McQueen wasn't sure how he would do it, but he wanted to do it before he left Australia.

 _I'll ask Siddeley to fly me to Eastern part of Australia on the flight to the Pacific,_ thought McQueen, _We'll pass right by it. Surely he'll have a few minutes to spare._

McQueen continued to think about his plan until he fell asleep, the only two things in his mind at the time being koalas and Chick.

 **First of all, I am very, very sorry for the late update. I was going to update in October, but school got in the way, and then I came down with a nasty head cold, not to mention writer's block...again. Then I sent the document to EarthHyena for beta reading, and then when I tried to re-send the chapter, I sent the wrong one by mistake! So I had to re-upload the document and try again! Luckily, three is a charm, as they always say!**

 **I also spent some time looking up World Maps on Google and plotting where the races were taking place to help me decide where the racers should go next. I was a lady on a mission!**

 **By the way, I would like to mention that, since this still technically EarthHyena's story, this is an AU since I have something similar (but not exactly the same) planned for Mater and Holley's first date in a future fanfiction.**

 **And Cars Crazy Fudge, PLEASE update Vacation Crashers as soon as you can! I have been waiting TWO months for an update, and I want to see what happens next! Raoul said he and the others might be coming back to Australia for a holiday...perhaps they'll visit you! *nudges* I wish I lived in Radiator Springs...or at C.H.R.O.M.E. *sigh***

 **I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! Sadly, I had a very lousy one this year. :'( But I DID have the time to FINALLY get this chapter written, and man, did I start typing this as fast as my fingers could fly! Oddly, when I'm depressed, my writing mode kicks in and I get high! XD But whatever works, right? I spent that whole miserable day writing this chapter, which cheered me up some!**

 **I truly hope you enjoyed it. And keep your eyes out—I may be posting another chapter sooner than you think! ;)**


	15. Departure from Australia

**Haha Fantastico! I am back with a new chapter! I also spent some time working on another _Cars_ story (one-shot, to be precise). Consider this repayment for my not updating in October. **

The next morning McQueen was up bright and early before anyone else. He had packed most of his things last night, but now got up and was rushing around trying to collect the rest of his things and shove them in his suitcase.

"McQueen, what are you-a doing?" asked Luigi as he got out of bed.

"Packing," McQueen stated simply.

"Didn't you pack-a last night?" asked Luigi.

"Yes," said McQueen as he shoved his laptop into the suitcase. "This is just the last of it, though."

"McQueen," Finn muttered sleepily, "Could you be a little quieter, please? I'm trying to sleep."

"Aw, come on Finn," said McQueen, "You know we have to leave early today, and I don't want to feel rushed."

"Do you have to be packing at six in the morning?" asked Finn.

"It's just a few last-minute things." said McQueen as he zipped up his suitcase.

"All right." said Finn, settling down to sleep.

For the next hour McQueen paced, waiting for his friends to get up. Finally Mater awoke, followed by Holley, Sarge, Fillmore, and Guido. Finn was still asleep.

Sarge cleared his throat and lightly tapped Finn's wing.

Finn's eyes shot open. "Oh! I guess I forgot to set my alarm," he said, getting out of bed. "All right, everyone, let's grab our things and get a move on. Siddeley's expecting us at nine."

The cars grabbed their bags and headed towards the cafeteria. A nice hot breakfast before take-off sounded really good right now.

….

McQueen and his team met up with the other racers at the cafeteria. Frosty had left early so he could take Nigel for a quick drive around the Outback before they had to leave. So McQueen kept busy by chatting with Jeff and Lewis.

On the other side of the cafeteria, Chick sat alone, scowling. Last night Belia told him she was going to talk to him. Originally she was to talk to him last night; however, the press ended up coming to the hotel and hounded her with questions. "We'll discuss the matter tomorrow," she had told Chick as the reporters fired questions and flashed cameras all around her.

Well, today was the day. Chick's eyes narrowed as the pink Tesla drove over to his table and parked directly across from him. "We have a lot to talk about, Chick," she said, the edge easily detectable in her voice.

Chick snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. Whatever lady. I ain't got all day. So give with the dish."

Belia glared at him. "I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a rude manner, Chick."

Chick's eyes narrowed but he didn't say a thing.

Belia cleared her throat and began. "Chick, this is the second time you have violated the rules of the Planet Earth Prix. The first time you tried to kill a dingo. The second time you ran Rip Clutchgoneski off the road and tipped over Lightning McQueen and Francesco Bernoulli." She paused. "I would disqualify you from the race, but the rules state I can only do so if you break the rules three times." She sighed. "And if I disqualify you now, I would have to do so to anyone else who breaks the rules as many times as you have. Not to mention the press will hound me." She leaned closer to the green racecar so her eyes could stare directly into his. "One more time, Chick," she said, "Just one more, and you are out of the race. Permanently."

Chick backed up slightly. "OK, fine," he said, "I'll stop with the cheating."

Belia stared at him long and hard. "You had better," she warned, backing away to join the other racers. "I meant what I said Chick," she said as she drove away, "One more incident and you're out."

Chick stared at Belia as she drove to Team McQueen's table. She parked between Frosty and Flash and eagerly joined in on the conversation about last night's safari. Chick stared down at his untouched breakfast. He knew Belia would stick to her guns; one more incident of his could be the result of his undoing. Obviously he did not want to race against a bunch of younger cars who thought they were better and more experienced, at least in Chick's mind. But he also did not want to get disqualified from the race for breaking the rules; that would mean more bad publicity, and Chick couldn't afford any more of it. Still, he couldn't stand the idea of losing to any more inexperienced racecars. Besides, he still wanted to get back at McQueen, Rip, Francesco, Crystal, and Wolff. And now he felt an overwhelming urge to punish Belia too.

Then an idea formed in Chick's head; _Maybe I can't pull any more cheat tricks,_ he thought, _but surely I could arrange for some natural disasters to happen. I could sneak out in the night and make it look like an accident! And I won't have to worry about getting caught. Nobody will ever know._

Chick smiled wickedly. All he had to do was put his plan in action.

….

Later that day the racers were gathered at the airport, where they met up with Nigel and Frosty.

"Hey Nigel!" greeted Memo, "Did you get to see the animals?"

"Did you see the kangaroos?" asked Raoul.

"And the emus?" chimed in Rip.

"What about some of the birds?" asked Miguel.

"Hang in there!" laughed Nigel. "Thanks to Frosty, I managed to get to see all the animals I saw in my virtual safari last night!"

McQueen's smile drooped. "But no koalas."

"Sorry about that, mate." said Frosty, "But maybe you'll see 'em next time? Raoul suggested a holiday. You'll see 'em then."

"Yeah," said McQueen quietly.

"Attention passengers, your flights will be leaving in 15 minutes. Please begin making your way through the terminal to your flights," said the female voice over the loudspeaker. "Thank you."

"Well, better go!" said Frosty as he departed for his flight, "See y'all in the Pacific!"

"Bye!" said the racers as they departed for their own flights.

McQueen followed his friends down the terminal to where Siddeley was waiting. He said nothing as he settled in his seat and the spy jet took off.

Finn was the first to notice. "Are you all right, McQueen?" he asked.

"Yeah," said McQueen quietly. "I'm fine."

"Why do you look so glum?" asked Finn, "Didn't you enjoy your Australian trip?"

"Yes!" said McQueen, "it's just...I'm bummed I didn't get a chance to see the koalas."

"I understand," said Finn, "But maybe you'll see them another time."

"But it's not just me!" said McQueen, "I wanted to get a picture of them for Sally. She would love it so much."

Finn smiled sympathetically. "I'm sure Miss Sally will understand. You can get a picture for her next time."

McQueen looked away, not wanting Finn to see his upset face.

Finn stretched. "Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll take a snooze. I didn't get much sleep last night and I still feel sore."

Mater yawned, "Think I'll do the same."

Holley snuggled against Mater. "You don't mind?"

"Nah!" said Mater as he wrapped his cable around Holley. "Say, yer purdy comfy."

Holley giggled and snuggled beside him.

The rest of Team McQueen decided to do the same. All expect McQueen himself.

 _This is my chance._ McQueen drove up to Siddeley's speaker. "Siddeley?" he asked.

" _Yes McQueen?_ "came Siddeley's voice.

"Where are we now?" asked McQueen.

" _Passing over a forest in the Eastern part of Australia,_ "said Siddeley, " _Why?_ "

"Could you land for a moment, please?" asked McQueen, "I, uh, have to check something."

" _What is it you need, mate?_ " asked Siddeley, " _We need to be at the Pacific Islands tomorrow, and it's going to be a long flight._ "

"I just wanted to snap some pictures of koalas for Sally," said McQueen, "It will only be a couple of minutes. I promise."

There was a pause. " _All right,_ " said Siddeley hesitantly, " _I can allow you three minutes. But then we must be taking off._ "

"All right!" said McQueen, "Thanks, Sid!"

" _No problem, mate!_ " said Siddeley as he began descending.

It took a while for the large jet to find a suitable place to land. After circling for a few minutes he finally landed just outside the eucalypt forest.

"Here we are, mate!" he announced, opening his door so McQueen could get out. "Make it quick!"

"Thanks again!" said McQueen as he got off. He quickly drove into the forest and got out his Polaroid camera.

And then he waited.

The seconds ticked by like hours. McQueen kept his eyes on the trees, hoping a koala would show up. Any minute now he would have to get back to the plane...

Suddenly a flash of silver in the trees caught his eye. He glanced over. It was gone.

 _Where did it go?_ He wondered. He droves slowly towards the tree and looked up.

Above him sat a chubby, furry grey Koala. Its little claws were wrapped around the thin tree branch. In one paw it held a fistfull of leaves. The animal stared down at McQueen with large, curious brown eyes, chewing on eucalypt leaves as it watched him intently.

McQueen chuckled at its cuteness. Slowly, he raised his camera and snapped a picture. The flash momentarily startled the koala but it remained in place.

 _Perfect!_ thought McQueen after he snapped a few more photographs, _I'll make sure I upload these to send to Sally._

McQueen glanced left to see a brown female koala scurry up a tree with a baby on her back.

"Sally will love this one!" McQueen said aloud as he snapped some more pictures.

Behind him, an older koala lay on a tree branch, napping in the sunlight. McQueen took another picture, careful not to wake the sleeping marsupial.

Another koala sat on a tree stump, munching on leaves. McQueen was about to take its picture when it suddenly scrambled off.

"Hey, wait up!" McQueen called as he drove after the marsupial.

The koala darted off behind some bushes. McQueen drove after it, trying hard not to damage the plants or accidentally run over any innocent wildlife. By the time he was able to beat his way through the bushes, the koala had disappeared.

 _Where did it go?_ McQueen thought anxiously.

Suddenly there was a rustle. McQueen glanced up to see the koala peering down at him from a tree.

"Oh, there you are," said McQueen sarcastically. "Now, are you going to be still and let me take your picture?"

The koala tilted its head. McQueen snapped the picture.

 _Great!_ he thought, "just one more and I'll have a whole photo album!"

McQueen carefully drove forward, his camera following the koala as it scurried higher into the trees.

McQueen inched closer, raising his camera, and was about to take a picture when-

 _CRACK!_

"AAAHHH!" screamed McQueen as the ground gave away beneath him.

It seemed like a long fall, but it was only a few seconds before _thunk!_

"Ouch!" shouted McQueen as he hit the ground on all four tyres. He shook himself. "I hope my camera isn't broken," he said as he inspected his Polaroid. The camera's paint was a bit scratched, but didn't look damaged.

McQueen glanced up to see he was in a hole only a few feet taller than he was.

 _How am I going to get out of here?_ he thought, _What if no one comes looking for me? No, Siddeley will realise I'm missing, and he will send someone to find me._ A sure of panic suddenly hit him. _What am I saying? They won't know where to find me! This forest is too big, and they'll never see this hole! They-_

McQueen was jolted out of his thoughts by a low hissing sound. He jumped backwards. Suddenly he tensed.

A large brown snake slivered towards him. Judging from the shape of its head, McQueen realised it was a venomous snake.

 _Be still!_ he thought to himself. The snake slivered closer. McQueen backed more, his bumper touching the dirt wall.

To his horror, more of them were coming. Even worse, he had no way of calling for help.

The snakes slivered closer. McQueen couldn't back any further.

He was trapped.

 **Haha! An evil cliffhanger! You'll have to wait and see if McQueen survives!**

 **Speaking of which, THE OFFICIAL CARS 3 TEASER TRAILER IS OUT! (Minor warning: It is slightly dark because it shows a crash, but I promise it isn't scary or grim. And no, I do not believe the film is going to be that way, even though we have a lot of emotional people saying so. And no, Lightning McQueen is NOT GOING TO DIE STUPID MEDIA!)**

 **I AM SO EXCITED! IT IS REALLY HAPPENING!**

 **I also have some good news and bad news:**

 **Bad news: It may be a while before the next update, as EarthHyena and I have very busy, and I have a lot of work to finish before college ends for the semester. Then I'll get an entire month off!**

 **Good news: I will be posting a new story called _Mater's Christmas Miracle_ for the Holidays! Watch for it!**

 **Until next time, mate! ;D**


	16. Rescue

**Greetings everyone, I'm back again! Guess who finished her first semester of college with flying colours! :D**

Back inside Siddeley, Finn awoke. Letting out a long yawn, he got up and stretched. "Hello, Sid," he greeted as he stood up, "Have we landed in the Pacific Islands yet?"

Siddeley hesitated. "Um, no mate."

"Did you stop to refuel?" Finn asked.

"No."

Finn raised an eyerim in confusion. "What do you mean? Sid, where exactly are we?"

"Eastern side of Australia, mate," said Siddeley, sounding uncomfortable.

"What are we doing still in Australia?!" demanded Finn. "We are supposed to be headed to the Pacific! Belia told us to meet her there tomorrow! We're going to be late!" Finn usually didn't get so irritated, but he really did not want to be late and have to explain it to Belia.

"Sir, McQueen insisted on stopping here so he could photograph koalas," said Siddeley.

"Photograph koalas!" exclaimed Finn in disbelief.

"For his girlfriend," added Siddeley.

Finn jumped up. "How long have we been here, Siddeley?"

"About two hours, mate," replied Siddeley.

"Two hours?!" exclaimed Finn.

"I told McQueen to be fast," said Siddeley, "I don't believe he would deliberately wander off. Do you suppose he is in trouble?"

"It's possible," said Finn, "I'll have to go after him and make sure he's all right. Which way did he go?"

"That way," said Siddeley, pointing his wing at the eucalypt forest.

"All right. I'll get up Holley and Mater and we'll be on our way."

Finn drove over to where Mater and Holley were napping. Holley was contently snuggled against Mater's side. Mater's head laid against Holley's, snoring loudly with his mouth open.

"Holley! Mater! Wake up!" shouted Finn as he gently shook them.

Mater snorted and bolted upright. "Da Lemons are coming!"

"No, Mater," said Finn, "McQueen's missing."

"McQueen is missin'!" exclaimed Mater.

"Shh!" shushed Finn.

Holley then woke up. "What's going on?" she asked.

"McQueen's missing," said Finn, "Sid said he went to photograph koalas."

"Dad-gum! There are koalas in da Pacific Islands?!" asked Mater excitedly.

"No, Mater, we are still in Australia," said Finn with a sigh.

"Still in Australia?" asked Holley.

Finn nodded. "Yes. But McQueen's been gone for two hours and we have to be at the Pacific Islands by tomorrow morning. He may be in trouble. We have to find him!"

"And so we shall," said Holley.

"Let's go then!" said Finn, grabbing some rope and a machete.

The two spies and one spy-in-training left the jet and ventured into the forest. "Holley, can you track him on your GPS?" asked Finn.

Holley turned on her GPS. "No. There is too much interference with the trees."

Finn sighed. "Mater, do you see any tyre tracks?"

"Yep! Right over yonder!" said Mater, gesturing behind him.

Finn frowned. "Mater, I think those are our tracks."

"Oh," said Mater his head drooping slightly.

"There!" said Finn.

"What?" asked Mater and Holley in unison.

"Fresh tyre tracks!" said Finn, pointing to the ground. "We must follow them. Careful now."

The three friends drove through the thick forest. Finn led the way, lashing out with his machete at interfering plants and chopping them out of the way. It took awhile for them to get through, but after awhile the tyre tracks disappeared.

"Oh, no," sighed Finn, "Now where could he have gone?"

Mater glanced around, absent-mindedly tracing his tyre around in the grass. Suddenly he glanced up and saw a large pit ahead.

"Look what I found!" shouted Mater, pointing to it.

"Do you think McQueen fell down there?" asked Finn.

"Maybe," said Mater.

"We'd better investigate," said Finn.

The three cars drove over to the pit. "McQueen!" called Finn, "Are you down there!"

"Yes, I'm down here!" a familiar voice called back.

"Can you get out?" called Finn, "Are you stuck?"

"It's too high for me to drive out of!" McQueen called back, "Do you think you can somehow tow me out?"

Finn looked at Mater. "Mater, can you cast your tow line down there?"

"Sure Finn!" said Mater. He gave his tow line a big swing and sent it down the hole.

"Okey dokey buddy!" called Mater, "Grab on!"

Back down in the hole, Lightning grabbed onto the cable with his tyre. "I got it!" he said.

"OK buddy!" said Mater, "I'm gonna pull you out!"

"Ease him out slowly," instructed Finn, "Be careful, as we have no idea what condition he is in."

McQueen glanced down to see more snakes approaching. "Finn, I think you and Mater might want to pull me out quickly, because there are a ton of snakes down here!"

"Are they poisonous?" asked Finn.

"Judging by the shapes of their heads, I would say so!" said McQueen, "I'd like to get out before one bites me!"

"Pull him out now!" Finn shouted at Mater.

Mater's tyres spun as he tried to pull McQueen out. "I can't get him!" cried Mater, "I can't pull him out!"

It was one thing to tow cars on flat ground, but McQueen was stuck in a hole, and Finn realised that gravity was fighting Mater.

"Hold on!" he said, driving up to him. He activated his grappling hooks and grabbed Mater's tailgate, pulling as hard as he could, but his wheels too were spinning. Holley grabbed him by the bumper and the three cars pulled as hard as they could.

"McQueen!" Finn called, "turn on your engine, see if you can drive yourself out!"

"I'll try!" McQueen called. Revving his engine, he decided to get a running start in order to drive up the dirt wall. However, he failed to see a snake that was in his path, and he accidentally ran over its tail as he drove towards the wall. Surprised, the snake lashed out at his tyre.

"Ouch!" cried McQueen.

"What's wrong?" asked Finn.

"One of the snakes bit me!" the racecar exclaimed.

"Quickly Mater!" instructed Finn, "We need to get him out _now_!"

The three cars' engines revved as they pulled with all their might. It took several tries, but in the end they managed to pull McQueen out of the pit.

McQueen was panting. "T-Thank you guys," he said between breaths.

"Ya OK buddy?" asked Mater, turning around to face his friend.

McQueen nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just shaken."

Finn drove over and began examining McQueen, "You're fine, just a little dirty and bruised," he said. However, his expression changed to concern as he investigated McQueen's left front tyre.

"What's wrong?" asked McQueen.

"You have been bitten," said Finn, "fortunately it was only your tyre and not your axle, so I don't believe you are in any real danger of being poisoned. Still, it would be best if we got you to a doctor once we reach the Pacific Islands."

McQueen groaned. "Great," he muttered, "I can't wait to have a bunch of needles stuck in me and get prodded and poked all over."

Finn gave him a harsh glare. "McQueen, this is serious," he said, "You were lucky it was only your tyre. But I don't want that poison spreading onto your body and besides, you may have been internally injured in that fall. You'd better get looked at if you want to race in the Pacific Island race."

McQueen sighed. "All right."

"Good," said Finn. He smiled and turned to Mater. "Mater, think you can tow him back to Siddeley?"

"Sure can!" said Mater as he grabbed McQueen with his hook, "C'mon buddy, let's get ya out of here!" he said as he drove off, Finn and Holley following.

"When we get back to Siddeley, I need you to look up the type of snakes that are prominent in this area, so we can report it to the doctor." Finn told Holley.

A few minutes later the four cars reached Siddeley. "Goodness McQueen!" the jet exclaimed once he saw them, "What ever have you gotten yourself into?"

"Um, I fell into a pit," said McQueen.

"Indeed you did!" exclaimed Siddeley, "and what happened to your tyre?!"

"I got bitten by a snake," said McQueen sheepishly.

"Siddeley, once we're on board, I want you to fly as fast as you can to the Pacific Islands," said Finn, "We must contact Belia and tell her what happened."

"I just got a connection!" said Holley, "Eastern Brown snakes are venomous snakes common in these areas. That must have been what bit McQueen."

"In that case, we had better move quickly," said Finn. "Mater! Tow him onboard!"

"Okey-dokey!" said Mater as he towed McQueen into Siddeley.

Once everyone was onboard Siddeley took off, activating his afterburners as they blazed off to the Pacific.

 **Well, looks like everyone's out of Australia now! The next chapter shall take place in the Pacific Islands! I'll try to have it up soon, but I can't promise, since college is going to be starting up in a week. :(. I will also have an important announcement to make in my next author's note, so please watch for it.**

 **I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I had a wonderful one, and I hope yours was splendid too! To anyone who's curious, I got _The Art of Cars_ and _The Art of Cars 2_ (which I raced through that very day!), a Doc Hudson diecast, a Holley Shiftwell plush, and a Finn McMissile MP3 speaker! What did you get? I would love to know! :D**

 **I also hope your New Year's was fantastic! 2017! Wow! And Cars 3 is coming out THIS YEAR! That reminds me, there is a new trailer coming out on 9 of January, so please be on lookout for it!**

 **See you all in the next chapter!**


	17. Arrival at the Pacific Islands

**Hello everyone, I'm back again with a new chapter! We are finally moving forward with the story in a new location! I hope you enjoy it!**

It was dark by the time Siddeley reached the Pacific Islands. Fortunately, the jet did not have too much trouble finding a place to land, as the island was illuminated with firelight.

"Here we are, mate," said Siddeley as he began to descend.

"Brilliant!" said Finn, "And it looks as though we're not too late."

"What was the island called again?" asked McQueen.

"Gunung Berapi," said Finn.

"Wasn't that the island Professor Zündapp and Miles Axlerod took the World Grand Prix racers when he kidnapped them a couple years ago?" asked McQueen.

"Yes it was," said Finn, "Very beautiful place. It was originally uncharted, but after we rescued the World Grand Prix racers C.H.R.O.M.E. decided to have it charted. So we sent some of our best biologists, geologists, and environmentalists to check out the place. They found some impressive wildlife and plant life there, and deemed it a good vacation spot. It is now charted and has become a popular tourist attraction. They recently added in a racetrack, camp, and tourist centre."

"Awesome!" said McQueen, "I hope we'll get a chance to see some sights!"

"I'm sure we will," said Finn, "But we had best turn in tonight so you can get a good night's rest, and besides, we still need to take you to the doctor."

"Oh, please!" groaned McQueen, "Not that again!"

"I'm sorry, McQueen," said Finn kindly albeit firmly, "But we need to get that tyre looked at."

"Finn, it was my _tyre_!" protested McQueen, "Not my axle. It's not like it bit me on part of my body and got its venom in my bloodstream!"

"True," said Finn, "But poison spreads and can be deadly if left untreated. Besides, we need to get that tyre changed if you want to race tomorrow."

McQueen groaned and flopped down into his seat. "Fine."

"We're coming to a landing now, mates!" said Siddeley.

It wasn't long before the spy jet touched ground on Gunung Berapi, and Team McQueen slowly filtered out. "Whoa!"

The camp was essentially a little village of various Hawaiian-style huts, all with wooden signs above them. There were lit torches and bonfires everywhere, as well as tourists driving in and out of the huts. Belia drove out of the hut labelled "Admissions" to greet McQueen.

"Hello and welcome!" she said with a smile as she drove forward, "I hope your flight was pleasant and- _Mon Dieu_ McQueen! What ever happened to your tyre?!"

McQueen winced. _Why does everybody have to make a big fuss over a blown tyre?_ "Um, I got bitten," said McQueen.

"Bitten?" asked Belia, "By what?"

"A snake," said McQueen sheepishly.

"A snake?" asked Belia, "Where?"

"Back in Australia."

"When was that?"

"Today."

"What happened?"

McQueen inwardly groaned. _Great, she'll scratch me from the race when she hears about this._ "I stopped at a eucalyptus forest to photograph some koalas, but I wandered too far and...fell into a hole infested with snakes. I accidentally ran over one trying to get out, and it bit me."

"Was it poisonous?" asked Belia.

"Judging from the shape of its head, I would say yes," said McQueen.

Belia looked very concerned. "Lightning McQueen, I want you to go the infirmary immediately," said Belia, "You must get that tyre changed, and we had better check you out to make sure that you did not get any poison in your body."

McQueen held back a groan. _Why does everybody always have to make a big fuss over me?_ "All right," he said.

"Thank you," said Belia, "Follow me, please."

Mater towed McQueen behind Belia to the hut with the "Infirmary" sign, the rest of Team McQueen following. Belia knocked on the door, and a familiar white Mini Cooper poked his head out. "Yes?"

"Lightning McQueen is here in need of medical attention," said Belia.

McQueen held back a snort.

The Mini smiled and opened the door wider. "Please come in," he said.

Mater drove in behind Belia, towing McQueen.

Inside the hut was an examination table and several white cabinets. "Please tow McQueen onto the table," the doctor instructed, "And I'll have a look at that tyre."

Mater carefully towed McQueen onto the table. Once he was settled the doctor examined McQueen's tyre.

"That's a nasty bite all right," said the doctor, "We're going have to change that tyre. What happened?"

"I got bitten by a venomous snake in Australia," McQueen explained.

"Do you know what kind it was?" asked the Mini.

McQueen scrunched up his face as he tried to remember what it looked like. "If I remember correctly...I think someone said it was an Eastern Brown snake."

"I see," said the doctor, "Tell me, McQueen, do you have any symptoms of poisoning? Do you feel dizzy or nauseous, or feel like you're going to faint?"

"No," said McQueen, shaking his head.

"That's good," said the Mini. "Still, I had best check you out to make sure the poison didn't spread."

McQueen held back a groan as the Mini checked him over for any other injuries.

"Aside from your tyre, everything else appears to be just fine," said the doctor, "Once we get your tyre changed, you'll be good to go."

"Tyres?" asked Luigi, poking his head in, "Did somebody say they needed to have a tyre changed?"

"Yes," said the Mini, "are you an expert on tyres?"

"Of-a course!" said Luigi, "I own a tyre shop back home! And I have-a just what McQueen needs! Guido!"

"Pit stop!" said Guido, driving into the hut and spinning a tyre on his fork.

The Mini chuckled. "All right then," he said, "Let's get that tyre changed and you'll be on your way!"

It was only a couple of seconds before McQueen's busted tyre was replaced with a brand new Italian one.

"Pit stop!" said Guido proudly when he was done.

"Belissimo!" said Luigi.

McQueen chuckled, "Thanks guys!" he said. He then turned to the doctor. "Does that mean I'm good to go?"

"Yes, McQueen," said the Mini, "But if you feel sick at all, please let me know right away!"

"I will," said McQueen, "Thank you!"

McQueen, Mater, Luigi, and Guido all drove out of the medical hut together. By now the sky was pitch-black, dotted with little white stars. Sparks from the various torches and campfires flew into the sky. The island was quiet except for the sounds of burning wood crackling, drums beating, natives chanting, a gentle breeze blowing across the ocean, and the quiet hums of the cars' motors.

"Everything go all right in there?" asked Belia, who had been waiting outside.

"Yeah," said McQueen, "I'm fine, just got my tyre changed. The doc said I wasn't poisoned, which is a huge relief!"

"Excellent!" she said, "I'm happy to hear about that, too! You will be able to race tomorrow."

"Great!" said McQueen. He then stifled a yawn. "Oh, goodness, I'm tired. I think I'll turn in."

"That's a good idea," said Belia, "I'll see you in the morning for the race. Good night!"

"G'night," said McQueen as he turned to leave.

"McQueen!" called a familiar voice, "Is that you?"

McQueen turned around to see another racecar driving up to him. "Enzo?" he asked.

"Hey buddy," he greeted with a smile, "Long time no see."

"Great to see ya again!" said McQueen as he drove up and bumped tyres with the red Ferrari Enzo.

"You too, old friend," said Enzo.

McQueen reversed slightly. "I haven't seen you in ages, yet you're here! Wow! You're racing in the Planet Earth Prix too?"

"Yes, I am," said the Ferrari, "I saw you in Germany and Australia but I didn't get a chance to say hello until now." He chuckled slightly, "You know how those fans are. But I wasn't about to turn them away."

"Well, it's great to see you," said McQueen, "I am very much looking forward to tomorrow's race. Shall I meet you tomorrow morning for breakfast?"

"Absolutely," said Enzo, "I would love to. I hope you'll excuse me, but I think I will go turn in, as we both have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"OK," said McQueen, "I think I'll do the same too. See you in the morning!"

"See you!" said Enzo as he turned around and drove back to his cabin.

McQueen drove back to where his pit-crew was waiting. "Hey guys!" he greeted, "Where's our hut?"

"Right here!" grinned Luigi as he pointed to a large hut behind them. A large wooden sign had TEAM MCQUEEN carved into it.

"Whoa! Looks great!" said McQueen.

"You really oughta check out the inside, man," said Fillmore, "So peaceful in there, man."

McQueen peeked inside. The inside of the hut was simple, merely decorated with a few potted plants, some bamboo tables, a couple of beds, and a few coconut candles. The walls were made of a creamy-white clay and the roof was thatched. It was small but homey.

"It looks very nice!" said McQueen, turning back to his team.

Finn yawned and stretched. "Oh, excuse me," he said, "I am getting very tired. I think we best get washed and turn in."

"Good idea," said Sarge.

"I'll go first," said McQueen.

McQueen came to a halt outside the doorway. Inside the small room was a shower curtain made out of tarp paper. When he drove in, he was surprised to see only a large bag filled with water hanging from the ceiling.

"Huh," thought McQueen, "How do I use this thing?"

First things first, he decided to close the curtain. Seeing a twine string hanging down from the ceiling, he gave it a pull. Suddenly there was a loud WHOOSH!

"AAAGGGHHH!" McQueen shouted as cold water rushed down upon him.

"McQueen!" called Finn, "Are you all right in there?"

McQueen poked his head out, cold water dripping from his chassis. "Yeah, I'm all right," he said, "I just now figured out how the shower works." He shook off the water and grunted. "Does anybody have a towel?"

…..

"I just can't believe I have to put up with those losers," muttered Chick as he drove away from the campsite, having rudely declined the other racers' invitations for a game of charades. Chick always lost, anyway.

"It really bugs me how all those rookies think they are faster and more experienced than me!" Chick muttered as he drove along, "They haven't been racing for years like I have! I have spent years on the track doing whatever it takes to win, even if it means crashing another car!" He snorted. "And those ignorant, inexperienced rookies are not only good at beating me, but it's like they do it without effort!"

Chick continued to drive further and further away from the campsite until he reached the centre of the island, where the volcano, Gunung Berapi, stood. Thin grey smoke rose silently from its core.

Chick recalled the time when he had helped Miles Axlerod and Professor Zündapp herd the World Grand Prix racers onto this very volcano to be executed. He remembered how he suggested Francesco be lowered into the volcano first, since he was the most annoying of the group. They would have succeeded in killing him if those spies hadn't showed up and bungled the whole plan!

Chick also shuddered as he remembered the fight that had taken place. One lemon was killed after he was pushed into the volcano; the others were taken prisoner, he, Axlerod and Zündapp among them. All of them had been arrested except for Chick, who had got off scot-free due to "lack of evidence".

It was almost pitch-black in the sky now, and Chick new he would have to get back to camp before anyone knew he was missing. He was just about to turn around when his tyre hit something. _Whack!_

"Ouch!" Chick cursed and reversed to see the edge of an old crate sticking out from the ground.

"Huh," he pondered aloud, "I wonder what this is?"

Curious, he began to dig at it with his tyres. Soon he uncovered a crate with the words DANGER: EXPLOSIVE! written on the side in bold black spray paint. Beneath it was a copyright of 1942.

"Well how about that?" he said, "Must have been leftover from World War Two!" Suddenly he had an idea.

"I know! I'll light some dynamite and sneak it into the volcano. I'm sure it's due for another eruption. I'll do it right before the race and bury those racers in hot lava! And it will look like a natural disaster!"

By now Chick realised it was getting very late. Quickly burying the crate, he rushed back to the campsite before anyone knew he was missing.

…..

A few minutes later Finn drove out of the shower, still limping slightly from his sprained axle.

"How are you feeling Finn?" asked Holley.

"Oh, I'm all right," he said, wincing as he put weight on it.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "You look like it's bothering you."

Finn shook his bonnet. "It's not bothering me that bad. I'll just take my medicine and go to sleep. I'm sure it will feel better by morning."

Holley nodded. "All right, but listen, if it's not feeling better by tomorrow you should have the doctor look at it," she added, handing Finn a glass of water.

"All right, I will," said Finn as he accepted the glass from her.

Holley smiled and turned to face McQueen and his team. "All right everyone!" she said, "We should all turn in now. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow!"

"All right!" they chorused as they got into their beds.

Finn drove into bed last, careful not to let his axle bang against anything. He placed it on a comfortable pillow and went to sleep.

Once everyone was settled, Holley blew out the candles and drove to her bed.

…...

A few hours later Finn woke up. It was still the dead of night, and all was quiet, save for the crickets chirping.

Sighing, Finn tried to get back to sleep, but his axle was bothering him. It throbbed severely, interrupting Finn's attempts to get back to sleep. He briefly considered waking up Holley or one of McQueen's team, but he didn't wish to disturb them and add to their worries. Glancing down at his wrapped axle, he was shocked to see it appeared larger, as if it had swollen.

 _Oh, I hope I'm not getting an infection!_ he thought as he settled back down. The last thing he needed was for another injury to flare up while he was trying to protect McQueen!

There was nothing Finn could do except try to go back to sleep. He fluffed up another pillow for his axle, trying to get it as comfortable as possible. The pain was still searing, but not as badly. After a few minutes Finn finally fell asleep, promising himself he would have the doctor look at it after the next race.

 **And that concludes Chapter 17! I hope you liked it! But before you go, please take a minute to read some important author's notes below:**

 **First, Enzo IS NOT my character. He belongs to Nightfly123, who contacted me back in December 2016 and asked if I would use his character in my story, and I said yes. I have also been granted permission by EarthHyena to do so. Speaking of which, if you are interested in another one of Enzo's adventures, check out Nightfly123's _Cars_ stories! They are actually quite good!**

 **Second, the island of Gunung Berapi IS NOT mine, that too belongs to EarthHyena. It is actually from her story _Revenge_ (if you haven't checked it out yet, you must do so!). Also, the part where Chick recalls the time he, Axlerod and Zündapp tried to kill the racers by lowering them in the volcano is also from _Revenge._**

 **Third, I wanted to let others know I am going to try to update more often. The reason I have been updating so little is because of school, which is very demanding and time-consuming. But I have come to realise that I am letting school be a barrier. So I have decided I shall not let it get in the way of my writing. Now, my studies do have to come first, but I am going to make a larger effort to get in more writing. I have decided I am going to try to update the story once a month, possibly twice if I can make enough time. I am going to try my best to shorten the wait time between chapters!**

 **Fourth, EarthHyena has a NEW poll on her profile! Have you read her story _Turn Right to Go Left_? Well, she is going to expand it into a series of short stories to celebrate the upcoming release of Cars 3! She is asking her readers which story she should write first! So please go to her profile and vote! (And go read _Turn Right to Go Left!_ )**

 **Fifth and last, I mentioned in my previous chapter that I had an important announcement to make. Well, here it is:**

 **So you may (or may not) be aware of the rumour that is spreading across the Internet that Lightning McQueen is going to die in Cars 3. The release of the teaser trailer on 21 November 2016, which showed Lightning McQueen somersaulting through the air in a roll-over after a severe crash, has led many people to believe that Cars 3 is going to be the end of Lightning McQueen. The media has been promoting this for months. There are people who are afraid McQueen is really going to die. There are people who believe McQueen is going to die. And there are even people who are hoping for McQueen to die! It has got so out of hand that the latest trending fandom article is now "Cars 3 trailer: is this the end for Lightning McQueen?" Fortunately with the release of the new Cars 3 trailer, most of the calamity has died down since then; but there are still people who believe McQueen is going to meet with this terrible fate.**

 **First of all, Cars 3 is supposed to be about McQueen's life after the crash, how he copes with the aftermath of this traumatising event, how he shows the younger crowd that he is still capable of racing even though he is no longer a rookie. Yet despite the fact that the plot for Cars 3 has now leaked out, people and the media are still convinced that the story of Lightning McQueen is to meet with a tragic end. But John Lasseter warned us this was going to be a very emotional story, that it was going to have a more serious tone than the first two films. And John Lasseter DOES NOT kill off canon characters without a good reason. If Lightning really was going to die, then the whole purpose of the film would be destroyed.**

 **Since I desperately want to prove to people that Lightning McQueen isn't going to die, I created a hashtag called #LightningMcQueenWillLive. My goal is for it to become viral in the hopes that the media will see it and perhaps reconsider the whole McQueen-will-die matter.**

 **Please show your support by using this hashtag wherever you go. I encourage you to post it on all of your social media sites, let it be Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram, or some other site. Include it in your emails when you send them. Tell your friends about it. Post them in public forums and on the profiles of various news media. Tell them that #LightningMcQueenWillLive.**

 **If we succeed in dispelling this rumour, not only will we helping others to reveal the truth, but we will all be working towards making the Cars fandom a better place. So please help spread the word that #LightningMcQueenWillLive.**

 **Thank you all!**

 **Oh my...that has got to be my longest author's note! Well, I'd like to give all of you a HUGE thank you for reading this, because it means a lot to me! So please spread the word, and I'll see you next chapter!**

 **Oh, and somebody has a birthday coming up soon!**


	18. Danger at the Gunung Berapi Race

**Hello everyone, I am back with a new chapter. I apologise that it took so long, but honestly school has ended up being a lot more demanding and time-consuming than I thought it would be. Also, I have had something very upsetting happen to me that might cause me to leave the Cars fandom and FNN. I'll explain that further down. For now, enjoy this chapter.**

The next morning everyone except Finn was up bright and early. McQueen, of course, was the first one up, as well as being the first one to notice that Finn had not yet risen.

"Hey, Finn?" he asked, driving over. "Are you awake?"

Finn didn't answer.

"Finn?" McQueen gently slapped Finn's wing.

Finn groaned and woke up. "Oh!" he gasped, "sorry about that. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

McQueen studied Finn's face closely. "Are you all right Finn?" he asked, "you look like something is bothering you."

Finn shook his bonnet and drove out of bed. "No, no, I'm fine," he said, "just a bit knackered."

"Well...all right then," said McQueen as he drove off.

Finn didn't want to admit it, but his axle was really bothering him. He briefly wondered if it was an infection that was bothering him.

 _It's probably nothing,_ thought Finn as he followed McQueen and the others out of the hut. But his axle was so sore he could hardly put any weight on it.

McQueen and his friends exited the hut, and were greeting by a ray of warm sunshine. The sky was a cloudless blue and the palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze. It was so beautiful that for a moment Finn forgot about the pain in his axle.

"Hey McQueen!" called Lewis, who was parked at a nearby table, "come sit with us!"

"Hey!" greeted McQueen as he and the others parked next to Lewis under the shaded table, "excited for the race?"

Lewis laughed nervously. "Ah, yes and no," he said. "Remember when we went missing and Zündapp and Axlerod took us here and tried to kill us by putting us in the volcano? Well, being back on this island is giving me the jitters."

"I have to agree," said Carla, "and it doesn't help that Chick Hicks tried to murder us as well."

"He-a wanted to put Francesco in the-a volcano!" added Francesco.

McQueen was shocked. "Chick tried to do that?!"

"Yes!" said Carla, "oh, it was awful!"

"Why isn't he in jail?" asked McQueen.

"Lack of evidence," said Finn, "Chick pleaded innocent, and unfortunately there was no solid evidence to prove that he had tried to kill Francesco and the others. So we had no choice other than to let him go."

Rip started to tremble. "Y-you d-don't t-think that C-Chick will t-try to put us in the v-volcano again, do you?"

"I sure hope not!" said Carla, "oh, I'm not looking forward to this race at all! It brings back so many bad memories!"

"Agreed," said Shu, "but we must not let fear get in the way of our racing. It is our job, out life. We must control our fear, not let it wash over us."

"I'd like to see you actually live up to that, Todoroki," remarked Long Ge, who was parked at a table away from Shu.

"I beg your pardon?" demanded Shu.

"You were always such a coward when you were young," Ge snorted, "I heard once that you pretended to be sick so you wouldn't have to take the arithmetic test, because you were so afraid of failing."

Shu's face turned deep red. "For your information, Ge," he said forcefully, "I was only ten years old at the time. I have since grown up and learned to be more in control of my emotions."

"You're doing a good job of that right now," Ge remarked.

"Well, at least I'm not on my way over to punch your face!" Shu shouted.

"Todoroki," said a calm voice, "please don't argue with him. He's not worth it."

Shu turned around to see a red Ferrari standing behind him, his tyre planted on his spoiler.

Shu sighed. "You are right, Enzo," he said, "I shouldn't be wasting my time fighting with him."

Enzo smiled sympathetically. "It's all right," he said, "I have dealt with cars like that before. They do it to purposely bother you. You have to learn to shut it out and keep going."

"You are correct, Enzo," said Shu, "I guess I should not let that racer bother me."

Enzo nodded approvingly. "Good. Remember that next time," he added with a smile as he turned to McQueen. "Hello, Lightning!"

"Hey Enzo!" said McQueen. He gestured to an open space. "Come sit with us!"

"Be glad too," said Enzo as he parked next to him. "So, would you mind introducing me to your pit crew?"

"Of course!" said McQueen. He turned to his friends. "Guys, this is Enzo. He's another racecar and a childhood friend of mine." He gestured towards each car as he spoke. "Enzo, this is Mater, my best friend and crew chief."

"Dad-gum!" said Mater, thrusting out a tyre, "I'm real glad ta meet ya!"

"The same," replied Enzo with a smile.

"And this is Luigi and his friend, Guido," said McQueen, "they're from Italy, and they love Ferraris and racing."

At that both cars' heads shot up. Luigi had a huge grin on his face and Guido was glowing. "Oh my-a goodness!" exclaimed Luigi, "Guido look! A real Ferrari is at our table! A REAL FERRARI!"

"Pit stop!" gasped Guido.

Enzo chuckled. "Pleased to meet you."

Luigi gasped. "Guido!" he cried, "a real Ferrari is speaking to us! A real, racing Ferrari! Oh, I knew we made a good choice a-coming on this trip!"

McQueen and Enzo both laughed. "This is Sarge," said McQueen, motioning to the Army Jeep, "and Fillmore," he added, gesturing towards the green Hippie van.

Enzo nodded. "How do you do?" he asked.

"Just fine, Solider," replied Sarge with a vigourous nod.

"Far out, man," said Fillmore.

Sarge glared at Fillmore but said nothing.

McQueen continued, "This is Holley Shiftwell, and she's a-"

"I'm Mater's girlfriend," the purple Jaguar interjected with a glare that said _Don't you even think of blowing my cover._

"Yes," said McQueen awkwardly, "and this is Finn McMissile, and he's a...a..."

"Just a simple car in the import-export business," said Finn with a chuckle.

"How do you do?" asked Enzo. He smiled again and said, "my, Lightning, haven't you got an interesting crew!"

"Oh, they're not just my crew," said McQueen, "they are my friends. They're from my home town."

"Radiator Springs?" asked Enzo.

McQueen's face lit up. "How did you know?"

Enzo shrugged. "Oh, word got around that a certain rookie racecar was setting up his racing headquarters in a little town on Route 66."

McQueen laughed, "I guess being famous does have its perks."

Just then a small blue Mazda Miatia waitress showed up with some trays. "Your breakfast is ready!" she greeted in a cheerful, high-pitched voice.

"Great!" said McQueen. He inhaled. "Mmm! Smells good!"

"It's grilled pineapple, a local favourite," the waitress said as she served the cars, "I also have prepared some hot oil and fresh fruit for you!"

"Well thank you!" said Enzo with a wink at the waitress.

The little car giggled. "Enjoy!" she smiled as she drove off.

Enzo raised his can of oil. "To victory!" he said.

All of the cars clinked their glasses and drank to a safe race and a glorious win.

….

Meanwhile Chick Hicks was lurking around the volcano, having managed to sneak out early that morning. He figured no one would miss him and now was the perfect time to carry out his revenge.

He managed to locate the crate and unbury it. He flipped open the crate to find a note on top of the dynamite. It said WARNING: THREE STICKS ONLY. DO NOT USE AFTER 1945.

"Oh shoot!" said Chick, "it's 2013, and this stuff is probably pretty weak by now. Heck, I'm going to shove _all_ the dynamite in the volcano!"

Grabbing as much dynamite as he could, Chick drove up the volcano and stopped at the opening. Inside the volcano was boiling red magma, which was slowly rising to the surface.

"Great!" said Chick, "just what I need! All that's missing is some matches. Eh, it doesn't matter. The lava will heat it up!"

Carefully leaning over the edge of the volcano, Chick stuck the dynamite sticks into some rock formations inside the volcano until it was practically a mine field.

"Perfect!" he said, "I'll sneak back before anyone notices that I'm gone. By the time the racers reach this side of the island, it will erupt, and they'll all be buried under the lava! Instead of it being 'ka-chow' it's gonna be 'ka-boom!'"

The sun rose higher, and Chick realised it was almost time for the race. Scampering down the volcano he drove back to the camp as quickly as he could.

…

It was soon time for the race, and all the racers were taking their positions. Everyone except McQueen, Enzo, Crystal, Maple, and Wolff looked nervous, as the other racers were recalling the time they were nearly killed on this island.

McQueen glanced around. "Where's Chick?" he asked.

Enzo shrugged. "Probably up to no good. Come to think of it, I didn't see him at breakfast."

"Me either," said McQueen, "oh, I hope he isn't setting up a trap."

"I don't think he'd have the time," said Enzo, "someone would have caught him. Cameras are all over the racetrack, you know."

Just then Chick showed up. "Ka-chika! Ka-chika! Ka-chika! BOOM!" he shouted as he jumped between Enzo and McQueen, causing both cars to spook.

"What? You couldn't take a joke?" asked Chick.

McQueen frowned. "Not from you, Chick," he said, "I have never seen a car with a dirtier sense of humour."

At this statement Chick feigned hurt. "Aw, come on!" he said, "I was trying to be nice!"

"You sure did a good job of it!" McQueen snapped.

"Chick, Lightning," said Enzo firmly, "please, no fighting. You are here to race, not argue. Remember that."

"All right," McQueen groaned.

"All right ladies and gentlecars!" said Belia through the loudspeaker, "it's time for the third race of the Planet Earth Prix!"

As Belia reminded the racing cars of the race rules, Chick began to get nervous. He swayed from side to side.

"What's gotten into him?" McQueen whispered to Enzo.

Enzo shrugged. "Who knows?" he said, "he's probably worried about loosing the race again."

"OK everyone, time for countdown!" said Belia excitedly. "On the count of three, you will all take off! Are you ready?"

"Yes!" the racing cars chorused back.

"All right then," said Belia, "three...two...one...and they're off!"

Just like that, the light turned green and all the racers sped forward. Carla quickly took the lead as they passed around a curve, with Shu and Miguel right behind her. Raoul took a flying leap and managed to expertly miss a marshy spot, which Ge was unlucky enough to drive into. He managed to pull himself out, but was now in second-to-last place, with Vitaly being right behind him.

The racers soon came to a thick forested area. Carla sped forward, sending bits of grass flying back at the other racers. Chick spat and rammed into Rip's bumper.

"Ouch!" said Rip, "Chick, that hurt!"

"Deal with it!" shouted Chick as he zoomed ahead, "it's part of racing, you're gonna have competitors kicking your bumper all the time!"

To Chick's surprise Rip revved his engine and sped past him!

"Would ya look at that!" a silver Chevrolet Monte Carlo with a flame design said, "Rip Clutchgoneski just passed Chick Hicks! That's a first!"

"Hicks must have said something quite bad to him to make Clutchgoneski react the way he did," the black Ford Mustang with the British accent next to him said, "but Rip is using that energy in order for him to push ahead, which is good."

Rip continued to remain in the lead as the racers entered the densely thick forest. Low branches hit the racers and swiped against their windscreens, scratching their paint.

Raoul, having been a rally car for nearly his entire life, had no trouble dodging the rocks, branches, and trees, and the marshy ground proved to be no challenge for him. Driving on two right tyres he managed to pass his opponents with ease. McQueen did the same.

"This is great fun, is it not?" asked Raoul as he passed McQueen.

"It sure is, Raoul!" agreed McQueen, "But this ground is so marshy, I'm having enough of a hard time trying not to get stuck!"

"That is where the momentum comes in!" explained Raoul, "you see, it helps to get a running start and maintain it on uneven ground like this. You don't want to build up speed, because that could cause you to slip. But you don't want to slow down, either, because you will lose momentum and when you try to speed up, you may slip or get stuck."

"Wow!" said Maple, who was now up to Raoul's side, "Where did you learn all that?"

Raoul blushed. "Uh, well, you see, I took physics and engineering in school as part of my race training," he said, "and I got to learn a great deal about things like momentum. I had to if I was going to preform tricks at the circus, you see!"

As he talked, Raoul became distracted. Suddenly, a vine wrapped around his back axle, pulling him up from behind.

"WHOA!" shrieked Raoul as he flew upward.

Both McQueen and Maple screeched to a halt. "Raoul, are you okay?" called Maple.

"I'm all right!" said Raoul, who was hanging limply from a vine wrapped around a tree, "go on without me!"

McQueen shook his head. "I'm not leaving until I get you some help." He tuned into his radio. "Mater?"

"Yeah buddy?" came the reply.

"Get some help over here, quick! Raoul's stuck in a tree!"

"Comin' buddy!"

"Thanks. Signing out now." McQueen turned off his radio and turned to Maple.

"Go on!" she said, "I'll stay here until Raoul is rescued."

"All right," said McQueen as he turned and continued to race on, "let me know if you need help!"

By now Miguel was in the lead, with Jeff, Lewis, Wolff, Carla, and Rip behind him. McQueen overtook Rip and Carla and was soon alongside Wolff.

"So, we meet again, McQueen," she said in her thick German accent.

"Yep," said McQueen, "just don't get too confident; I might win this time."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure, McQueen," said Wolff, "I have had far more experience on the tracks of the wilderness than you ever have."

"That may be true," said McQueen, "but I'm speed! Ka-chow!" he said, rushing ahead and slowing near Jeff and Lewis.

"Hey buddy, glad you could join us!" said Jeff.

"Me too," said McQueen, "hey, why don't we all drive together until the home-stretch?"

"Good idea!" said Lewis, "first, let's focus on overtaking Miguel. He's pretty far in the lead."

The three cars drove together, trying to catch up to the Spanish racing car. By the time Jeff was was alongside him, the cars were out of the jungle. A bright beam of sunlight met their eyes.

"Whoa!" cried Miguel, squinting his eyes, "I guess we've been in that dense jungle too long!"

"Just give it time and it will clear up in a minute," said Jeff.

It didn't take long for the cars' eyes to get adjusted to the sunlight. Soon they were headed towards a curve, which was relatively close to the volcano.

Behind him, Rip gulped. "I don't wanna go near that thing again!" he whined.

"I don't either," said Carla, "But we have no choice!"

Max looked at the volcano with wide eyes, recalling how the Lemons had tried to kill them all by shoving them into the volcano. He remembered all too well how close Francesco came to being killed before the spies had intervened and saved them. Just looking at the volcano made him nervous. Unfortunately, this caused him to lose focus, and Ge sped past him.

"Nice try, Schnell!" he snorted as he raced by.

Schnell glared and revved his engine, rushing forward.

Meanwhile Shu and Vitaly were fighting for fifth place, with Flash, Fernando, and Memo close behind. Enzo had been driving with them but he stopped when he saw Raoul stuck in the vines, and didn't leave until the rescue crew came onto the track and cut him free. Being a rally car, Raoul had gracefully landed on all four tyres and took off. Now he, Maple, and Enzo were battling for seventh place.

Chick was in last place, stuck between Nigel and Wolff. In front of him, Crystal and Frosty were working to overtake Francesco, who was just metres behind Enzo. Francesco pulled ahead, not slowing down until he reached Crystal's side. He flashed a smile at her.

Crystal glanced at him as he drove up to her. "Hello, Francesco," she said in a slightly bored voice, "are you ready to lose yet?"

"Don't be-a too sure about that," said Francesco, "Francesco is-a one of the fasted cars in all of-a Italy. He even-a beat Lightning McQueen in Tokyo!"

Crystal snorted. "Yes, and I heard you lost to McQueen in Porto Corsa!"

Francesco felt himself turning as red as a beet. "True," he said, "but other than that, Francesco almost always a-wins."

"We'll see," said Crystal as she fired her engine and tore ahead, hoping to get away from Francesco.

But to her surprise Francesco continued to drive alongside her. The sunlight gleamed off his red paint, and Crystal was forced to admit it looked good. She hid a smile. _He actually is pretty handsome,_ she thought as they reached the end of the jungle.

Soon all the racers were merged together as they neared the curve. Wolff drove forward, catching up to Crystal. She glanced back and frowned. "Crystal, something's wrong," she said.

"What do you mean?" the Russian Formula 1 asked.

"Has anyone else noticed that Chick has been lagging behind?" she asked.

Crystal thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, yes. I noticed he didn't really try to overtake anyone. Usually he is always fighting to get ahead."

"He may be saving his speed for the home-stretch," McQueen warned, "I wouldn't be so quick to assume that he is just being lazy."

Carla grew tense. "I don't have a good feeling about this!" she exclaimed, "I don't know why, but I feel like something bad is going to happen, and Chick is going to be the cause of it!"

"What could he possibly do, other than shove us or run us off the road?" asked Crystal.

"That's the problem!" said Carla, "we are in the wilderness, not on an official racetrack. If he wanted to run us over a cliff he could!"

"If he did that, he'd get disqualified for sure!" said Wolff, "Belia told me he has only one more shot before he gets kicked out of the race."

Suddenly Carla glanced over at the volcano. "Hey, is it just me...or is the volcano smoking?!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Crystal, "volcanoes are full of hot lava, of course they smoke!"

"Yes, but not this thick!" said Carla.

"She's right!" said Raoul, "I don't like the looks of it!"

"Well, the volcano is well overdue for another eruption!" exclaimed Max.

Francesco burst ahead. "Francesco does not-a want to be near that-a thing!"

Crystal rolled her eyes. "For the love of Chrysler."

"Go easy on him," said McQueen, "He almost got lowered into that very thing a couple of years ago when the Lemons got him."

Crystal nodded. "Yes, I heard about that."

McQueen thought he saw a sympathetic look in her eyes for a second. Then it was gone.

Suddenly Enzo cried out. "Look! The volcano! It's gonna erupt!"

And just like that BOOM! All of a sudden a great huge black cloud shot up from the volcano, causing the clear blue sky to grow black. The blow was so strong it knocked a good portion of the volcano's sides off, causing giant rocks and debris to fall everywhere like acid rain. Hot red lava flowed from the volcano's sides. Although it was slow moving, it was not far from the track. The cars began coughing violently as all oxygen was rapidly cut off.

"Great Scott!" exclaimed a British announcer, "The volcano has just erupted!"

"Everybody evacuate!" shouted an urgent voice over the loudspeaker, "NOW!"

There were screams as all the cars fought to get out of the stands. Finn and Holley battled through the crowds of cars to get to the track, where the racers were stumbling around in the smoke, coughing wildly.

"Quickly!" barked Finn at the pit crews, "get everyone out!"

At that instant everyone was on their tyres. The pit crew chiefs and their pitties rushed to the track.

"Francesco!" shouted Giuseppe, "are you all right? Get out of there, quick!"

"Does anybody need a tow?" asked Mater as he too drove into the thick, intoxicating smoke.

McQueen coughed violently as he stumbled about in the smoke. "I—I don't know," he gasped between coughs.

"I can't see anything!" exclaimed Raoul as he too stumbled around.

"What if that lava is getting too close?!" exclaimed Max.

"Calm down!" said Finn, his voice hurried but steady, "we have got to get out of this track and back to the camp. It's located on the other side of the island, where we'll be safe. Now, Holley, Mater, and I are going to get you all out. Ready?"

Everyone nodded.

"All right," said Finn, "Holley, Mater, and Sarge, start rounding up as many cars as you can. Get them off the track!"

"On it," said Holley as she and others took off.

Finn drove into the thick smoke, keeping his eyes open for any of the racers. Through the smoke he could make out Shu, who was stumbling around blindly. Finn drove towards him.

Suddenly Finn felt a sharp pain shoot through his axle. Glancing down, he was horrified to see it was completely swollen and slightly discoloured. Trying to ignore it, he speed forward, but the weight he put on his axle caused the pain to increase.

"Todoroki!" he called, "Over here!"

Shu turned to where he heard the voice. "McMissile?" he asked.

Finn coughed as he inhaled the toxic smoke. "Yes, it's me. I'm going to get you out of here." He activated his back bumperettes and used them to grab onto Shu's front. Then he drove as fast as he could off the track, towing the Japanese racing car.

Meanwhile Holley found Nigel, who was standing dangerously close to the volcano, unable to see the lava flowing towards him.

Revving her engine, Holley quickly knocked him away from the path of the lava and pushed him off the track.

"Good work, Agent Shiftwell," said Finn as Holley drove beside him as they made their way back to the track.

Meanwhile Sarge and Enzo were herding some of the other racers off the track, with the help of the other pit crew chiefs. Mater was towing Memo, who looked quite scared stiff. Flash, Fernando, and Vitaly bolted right past him, followed by Jeff and Lewis, who were practically clinging to each other in fright. Ge and Frosty were next. Miguel followed, with Rip gripping onto his spoiler for dear life.

Meanwhile Francesco was stumbling around, trying to find his way off the track. The sky was almost completely black now, and dense grey smoke nearly choked Francesco's engine and lungs. The heat was almost unbearable, and the island had become so humid that the F1 racer felt like he was suffocating. He couldn't see the lava, and felt completely scared.

Suddenly behind him, Francesco heard coughing. He turned to see a white F1 standing dangerously close to the volcano's edge, coughing.

Francesco's eyes widened. "Crystal?" he asked.

Crystal glanced up at him. "Francesco?" she asked in disbelief.

"Crystal, you-a must get out of-a here!" Francesco exclaimed.

Suddenly, there was a loud crunching sound, and before Crystal could react, Francesco shoved her aside and barely got away in time as a large rock came crashing down where Crystal had once been standing.

Crystal glanced up at Francesco in shock. "That boulder could have killed me!" she realised. She started into his eyes. "Francesco, you just...you just saved my life."

Francesco blushed slightly, glancing at the ground. "Well, I-I didn't want you to get-a hurt. I-I would have felt-a very bad if a good racer like-a yourself had been killed. Especially when they are-a pretty ladies like you and-"

Francesco was cut off by a tremendous _CRASH!_ causing both cars to jump.

"I think we had better focus on getting out of here!" cried Crystal as she seized Francesco's tyre and drug him off the track.

Meanwhile Lightning was going in circles around the track curve, trying to find his way out. He then saw a blue blur next to him.

"Raoul?" he asked.

"McQueen! Is that you?" the French car asked between coughs.

"Yeah, it's me," said McQueen, "are you all right?"

Raoul coughed violently. "This smoke is making my lungs burn!"

"Can you see anything?" asked McQueen.

" _Non_ ," said Raoul, "this smoke is too thick!"

McQueen gritted his teeth as he narrowed his eyes. "I think I see a way out," he said quickly, "come on!"

He grabbed Raoul's tyre and pulled him off the track. He squinted, trying to find a way to get out safely.

Meanwhile, Finn McMissile was battling his way through cars and smoke, trying to see if anyone else was stuck on the track. His axle hurt like bonkers and he choked and coughed on smoke, but he continued on, his spy training forcing him along. It was just then he spotted a car huddled dangerously close to the volcano.

"Maple!" he gasped, driving over to her as fast as he could.

The Canadian racer was coughing violently. "Who-who are you?" she asked between coughs.

"I'm a friend of Lightning McQueen," Finn said simply, "I'm going to help you get out of here."

"Oh, thank you!" she said. She then glanced around quickly. "Where's Raoul?"

Finn froze. He hadn't seen the French rally car anywhere, but he didn't want to frighten Maple. "I'm sure he's getting help now," said Finn, sounding more confident than he felt. He yanked her axle slightly, "now come!"

Maple reluctantly followed as Finn led her off the track.

By now, the smoke was thicker than before, and the lava was already starting to flow onto the track. Lightning and Raoul had just got off by the time the red liquid started to seep onto the track. Enzo followed next, with Wolff close behind him.

"Is everyone here?" asked Finn.

"I think so," said Enzo.

Rip quickly scanned the crowd. Suddenly his face went white and his eyes widened. "Where's Carla?!" he gasped.

Finn spun around. "You mean she isn't here?"

"I didn't see her," her crew chief said, "I don't think she's left the track!"

Rip glanced bravely at the smoky track. "I'm going to go in after her!" he cried, and he bolted forward.

Finn pulled him back. "No, Clutchgoneski," he said, "it's far too dangerous!"

Rip fought against the spy car. "I don't care!" he said, "I can't let Carla die! She may be trapped there!"

Finn fought to keep from yelling. "I know," he said, "but I have been trained to handle situations like this. You haven't. You must let me go."

Rip nodded, tears swelling into his eyes. "OK."

Finn nodded, then turned and dashed onto the track.

"Be careful!" Holley called.

Finn leapt onto the track, the smoke clouding his vision. His windscreen burned and his eyes soon became red. The air was thick, making it hard for the spy car to breathe. The hot air made him start to sweat.

"Carla!" he called out, "Carla Veloso! Are you there?" Finn continued to call until he felt his throat close.

Suddenly, a flash of green caught his eye.

"Carla!" he shouted, racing towards her.

The Brazilian racing car was trapped underneath a fallen tree. "Help!" she cried, "I can't get out!"

"Just hold on!" Finn commanded as he drove towards her, "I'll get you out."

Finn quickly analysed the scene. It appeared the tree had fallen as she was driving through, causing her to be stuck halfway out. But as Finn drove closer and looked at the marks on the bottom of the tree, his stomach churned. The tree hadn't fallen; it had been deliberately cut.

Finn quickly pulled out his cutter and began hacking away at the fallen tree, being careful not to hit Carla in the process.

The lava was only mere centimetres away from them now, and it was getting closer by the minute. Finn knew he was running out of time.

Finally, he gave the tree one mighty hack, and Carla was free.

"Oh, thank you!" she cried as she drove out.

Finn just nodded. "Now, let's get out of here!"

The two cars quickly drove as quickly as they could off the track, but the grass slowed their progress.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble, causing both cars to glance up.

"Is it erupting again?" asked Carla.

"I think it is!" said Finn, "I know this sounds far-fetched, but I think someone has tampered with this track!"

There was another loud explosion as more toxic smoke filled the air.

The two cars continued driving as fast as they could, with Finn pushing Carla ahead of him.

Suddenly there was a loud CRACK! Both cars turned to see a tree falling, as well as several large boulders tumbling from the volcano—right into their path!

Finn knew there was no time to go around it. Quickly he shoved Carla hard, sending the green and blue racing car rushing off the track. Finn followed as fast as he could, the rocks raining down upon him like a tropical storm.

"Finn, look out!" Holley screamed over her communicator.

Finn glanced up and realised that the rocks were falling faster now. Revving his engine, he drove as fast as he could, trying to make it off the track. The boulders and ashes rained down hard upon him, scratching his paint and denting his metal.

Suddenly, there was a CRACK! Finn glanced up to see another large tree falling down, right into his path!

Finn revved up his engine as he bolted forward, and for a wild moment he thought he was going to make it. He was just metres away from the edge of the track when CRASH! The tree came toppling down onto the spy car, trapping him on the track. He struggled to get out, but to no avail. "Holley, I'm trapped!" he shouted.

But Holley was too far away to hear him, and the smoke was too thick for her to see him.

Finn switched on his communicator. "Agent Shiftwell, this is Agent McMissile. Agent Shiftwell, come in please. Agent Shiftwell!"

There was no response. Nothing but static.

Suddenly there was another rumble, followed by a loud KA-BOOM!

Finn glanced up at the volcano in horror as it erupted again, sending more rocks down upon him. Small amounts of lava pelted onto his body, sending excruciating pain searing through him.

Finn glanced around frantically. In only a couple of minutes all of his exits would be blocked. In vain he revved his engine and tried to drive out from beneath the tree, but it was no use. The tree had fallen on his middle, pinning him to the ground as volcanic rock and ash crashed all around him.

He was trapped!

 **MWAHAHAHA! An evil cliffhanger! You'll have to wait and see if Finn survives!**

 **Okay, time for me to be serious; I did say in my above note that something bad has happened. But before I begin, I would like to thank everyone who gave me the birthday wishes. I had a wonderful time and got a cake with Finn McMissile on it, and I got a Finn McMissile pillow pet, both Cars soundtracks on CD, and diecasts of Sheriff, Finn, Holley with taser, and Road Trip Lightning McQueen with trailer as gifts. I also got some caramel chocolates and red licorice as well. (The good Australian-style kind :3).**

 **Now for bad part:** **So, there was this Cars 3 event I REALLY wanted to go to, and it was hitting almost every state BUT mine. The closest event is in Denver (which is from 27 May-28 May). So told my parents about it, and they said they'd look it over. Well, a couple of days ago they told me they couldn't take me, it was too far and too expensive. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, mind you. So I'm really upset and sad now. It's too painful for me to look at Cars now, and I just want to leave. Also, I'm not in a hurry to deal with a bunch of snobby fans who get to go to the events and brag about how they are the biggest Cars fans and they're so much better and everyone else is inferior. (And these people get celebrated!) I'm not in a hurry to deal with it! (I'm not accusing any of you of anything I promise, I'm talking about other fans not on FFN).**

 **So yes, I made this sound like a tragedy. Well, perhaps it's not, but for me, it rather is. I know it seems like I'm overreacting, but I hate the idea of missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime thing relating to a fandom I love so much. All I know to do it give it up and move on. I did it once before with another fandom. It was painful but eventually I got over it and moved on.**

 **But Cars is sewn so deeply into my soul...I could never get rid of it...it has become part of me, and I can't escape it. The fandom is my life, and it has always inspired me. It has got me through the toughest times of my life when I thought that life wasn't worth living. But now, it's brought me pain and suffering. That's all it does now. But I guess that's the price you pay when you're a die-hard fan. Now I don't feel motivated to write or draw any more...I don't even feel motivated to take up racing or flying, which is something I have always wanted to do. So, I want to let you know that it is entirely possible that I might be leaving FFN—and the Cars fandom—forever. I don't want to leave, but I don't know if I have a choice. :'( I feel like I've failed as a Cars fan. :,(**

 **However, thanks to some support I got from my friends up here, it's completely possible that I might not leave. But I am going to be taking a hiatus because I am not in a hurry to deal with any drama right now. I shall be leaving tomorrow and will not be back until 11 May, and even then I might go on hiatus again. This means I will not be logging on for some time, so I apologise for any late replies. And yes, this also means it will be a very long time before I update this again. I am so sorry everyone; here I am saying I would update more frequently and look at what just happened. But I thought I would give you all one last chapter before I leave so you'll have something to enjoy.**

 **Lastly, I want to let everyone know that if in the end I decide to leave, I shall still finish this story because I promised EarthHyena I would. I am making this promise to all of you.**

 **Goodbye everyone. I'll miss you all, but I shall be back. I am starting my hiatus tomorrow so if you want to talk or anything, please do so tonight.**

 **And remember everyone, #LightningMcQueenWillLive!**


	19. After the Eruption

**Hello everyone, long time no see.**

 **Well, I have made my decision...**

 **I have decided...**

 **I AM GOING TO STAY IN THE CARS FANDOM—AND FFN-AFTER ALL!**

 **And now, without further ado, I present you the next chapter of Planet Earth Prix!**

 **Oh, and a side note; there will be some Cars 3 spoilers in later chapters. I'll put another warning where appropriate, but I felt that I had better let you know just in case you have not seen the film.**

Lightning and the others huddled together in fear as the volcano continued to explode into eruptions, sending showers of rocks and ash down upon them. Rip, who was clinging onto Enzo for dear life, had his eyes on the track, waiting for Carla and Finn to show up.

Finally the Brazilian racing car came racing towards them from the track. "Rip!" she called, "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Carla!" cried Rip, rushing towards her, "you're all right! I was so worried about you!"

"It's OK, Clutchy," she said, "I was trapped underneath a tree, and the British spy—I think his name is Finn McMissile—helped me get out!"

"Oh thank goodness!" said Rip. He crushed the Brazilian racer into a hug, then glanced around. "Speaking of which...where is Finn?"

Carla glanced around frantically. "You mean he's not here?!" she gasped.

Rip gulped. "Then that means..."

"He must still be near the volcano!" Holley gasped. Frantic, she turned on her communicator. "Finn, this is Agent Holley Shiftwell, please come in. Finn, this is Agent Shiftwell, do you read me?"

There was nothing but loud static.

"His communicator must be broken!" she gasped.

"Or the lava got him!" cried Carla, "or an explosion, or a rock slide, or-"

"We must find him now!" cried Holley as she rushed towards the volcano, "Mater, come on!"

Mater followed, with Lightning following him.

Holley squinted her eyes against the smoke, trying to spot Finn amongst the increasing thickness of the smoke and the amount of debris. The air was getting hotter and thicker the closer they got, but Holley wasn't going to turn back now.

As she neared the volcano, she switched on her communicator again. "Finn, it's Agent Holley Shiftwell, do you read me?"

Still static.

Holley turned off her communicator. "Come on!" she said, "we've got to find him!"

The three cars hurried into the smoke.

Meanwhile Finn was still trapped under the tree, struggling to get out. He pulled as hard as he could to try to inch himself out, but the tree held him pinned to the ground. He tried to call Holley through his communicator, but all that came was static. The lava was dangerously close now, and Finn's rear half was completely buried in rubble now. To make matters worse, more lava splotches were starting to rain down upon, searing his paint and making the Faultless GT nearly scream. He glanced around frantically, wondering if anyone would come. Finn shouted loudly, but was cut off by the smoke, causing him to cough violently.

Suddenly a large splotch of lava landed on Finn's bonnet. The blue Peerless GT screamed loudly as he felt the hot lava burn through his paint.

Holley suddenly stopped. "I think I heard Finn screaming!" she gasped.

Suddenly there was a rumble beneath her tyres, and with horror she realised the ground was shaking.

"Is it an earthquake?" asked Mater.

"I think it's another eruption!" gasped Holley, "oh, we have got to find Finn and save him!"

"Unless the lava got him," McQueen warned.

Holley cringed at the thought but kept on moving.

Suddenly there was another scream.

Holley tensed. "It came from over there!" she cried, pointing with her tyre.

Lightning squinted his eyes against the smoke. "Over there?" he asked in disbelief, "that close to the volcano?"

"Yes!" cried Holley, "we have got to hurry!" She darted off towards the place where she heard the scream, Mater and McQueen bravely following.

Meanwhile Finn was desperately gasping for breath. The smoke was cutting off his oxygen, and the spy car was barely able to breathe. By now he thought for sure that no one would be coming for him. He figured he would either die of suffocation, be hit by a rock, or be burned alive by the lava. The last thought in particular horrified him.

Finn thought back to the times when his life had nearly been wiped out. He had several close counters with death before, and each time he had evaded them successfully. But those times the enemy had always been against another car—a one-on-one battle—but in this case, he was fighting against no one except nature itself. And Finn knew he didn't have a chance at survival.

"Finn?" called a voice from behind him.

Finn glanced around frantically, trying to find the owner of the voice. "Holley?" he asked, "is that you?"

Just then the purple Jaguar appeared out of the smoke, followed by McQueen and Mater. "Finn!" she gasped when she saw him, "what happened?!"

"A tree fell on me!" he exclaimed.

"A tree fell on you?" asked Holley, somehow not quite believing what she had heard.

"There is no time to explain Holley!" Finn barked, "you need to get out of here, now!"

"Not until we free you," said Holley. She pulled out her cutting blade and began hacking at the tree. "Mater, McQueen, come over here."

Both care did as they were bidden. "Yes?"

Holley tossed some rope to McQueen. "All right, you will take your rope and tow cable and attach it to that sturdy branch there," she said, gesturing towards them, "and when I give the signal you pull as hard as you can, and we'll get the tree off him."

"Got it!" said McQueen.

"Dad-gum!" chimed Mater.

Both cars soon had their ropes in place. Holley continued to cut until the tree was freed from its stump.

"All right...get set...PULL!"

McQueen and Mater pulled with all their might, and slowly, the tree began to move.

"It's working!" she cried. Once the tree was off his rear she rushed to Finn's front. "All right, Finn, I'm going to pull you out. Are you ready?"

Finn nodded, too choked up to speak.

"One...two...three!" Holley gave him a mighty pull, and the spy car popped out from beneath the tree.

"We've got him!" exclaimed Holley, "good work!"

Finn coughed violently. "Thanks Holley," he choked out.

"Mater," said Holley, "tow him away, please. He's too injured to drive."

"Okey-dokey!" said Mater. He swung his hook onto Finn's undercarriage. "Where to now?"

"The other side of the island!" said Holley, "now let's hurry before-"

 _KA-BOOM_!

Holley was cut off by another rumble and the ground began to shake again. Then it stopped.

"I think we's better go NOW!" said Mater as he took off. McQueen and Holley followed. The threesome soon arrived where the other racers were waiting.

"Thank goodness you're all right!" exclaimed Lewis, "we were worried that the lava got you or something!"

"But it didn't!" said Holley.

"Is Finn OK?" asked Rip.

"He's pretty badly dented and burnt, but I think he'll be all right," said Holley.

Rip sighed in relief.

"Now," said Holley, "is everyone here?"

"YES!" the racers chorused.

McQueen glanced around. "Wait a minute!" he said, "where's Chick?"

"You mean he's not here?!" asked Holley.

Sarge's eyes narrowed. "He probably ran off to save himself."

"Perhaps the lava got him," said Wolff coldly.

"Wolff!" gasped Crystal.

"Well, it would serve him right," said Wolff.

"Wolff! Crystal!" said Holley, "there's no time to argue. We have got to get out of here and get Finn to the medical bay!"

"You are right," sighed Wolff. "Let's get out here before-"

Another rumble sounded, and the racers and their friends immediately jumped up and began driving back toward the other side of the island. They didn't stop until they reached the medical bay.

"Here, take him!" said Holley and she and Mater passed Finn off to the paramedics.

"Got him," one of the medics replied as a tow truck hooked up the now barely-conscious Finn and towed him into the building.

….

A few hours later the racers and their friends and pit crews were parked out in the waiting room. Each one of them had been checked over, and fortunately no one had suffered any serious injuries, and the paramedics were relieved to report that no one was seriously hurt. The volcanic eruption was long since over, but the underlying cause was worrying, so the track officials sent some of their best geologists to examine the volcano to figure out what caused the violent eruption.

McQueen chewed his tyre nervously. "How do you think Finn is doing?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't know," replied Holley, "but they're fixing him up now, so he should be fine."

McQueen nodded and glanced at the ground. Last they had heard, Finn was still in the examination room.

Carla was looking at the chequered tile floor beneath her tyres. "I-I still can't believe...he...he saved my life," she whispered quietly. "Oh, if only I hadn't come...this never would have happened..."

Rip, who was next to her, spoke up. "Actually Carla, I...I was going to rescue you, but Finn wouldn't let me. He said it was a job for a spy. But I think you should know that I wanted to help."

Carla looked up. "Really Clutchy?"

Rip nodded. "Yes, even though I knew...I knew that...I could die." The New Rearendian blushed.

"Oh, Clutchy!" exclaimed Carla, "just knowing that you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me makes me so happy! You are so brave!"

Rip stared at her. "I...I am?"

"Of course you are!" replied Carla.

"But I was scared!" cried Rip.

"Clutchgoneski, bravery isn't being fearless," said Enzo, "it is doing the right thing afraid. That is very important to remember."

Rip nodded. "OK, I see."

Carla nuzzled Rip's wing. "I love you, Clutchy."

"I love you too, Carla," the orange and green racer replied.

Meanwhile the other racers and their friends were trying to keep themselves occupied. Some of the racers dozed, others were reading, and others were talking quietly to each other. McQueen, however, was driving around the room in circles.

"McQueen, could you please stop driving in circles?" asked Carla, "you're making me nervous."

"I can't help it," said McQueen, "I'm just so nervous!"

"Well, you don't have to cruise around like that and make everyone else nervous too!" snapped Wolff.

"Wolff, please calm yourself," said a French-accented voice from behind her.

Wolff turned around to see Belia standing behind her. "Hello Belia," she greeted, "I'm truly sorry about that. It's just I'm a more than a little on the edge."

"We all are," said Belia, "but that does not give us any reason to be snappy to others."

Wolff nodded. "I shall try to control my tongue next time."

Meanwhile on the other side of waiting room, Crystal was parked against a wall cushion flipping through a magazine. She couldn't get over the selfless act Francesco had done for her. Did he really care enough about her to push her out of harm's way? No, it couldn't be. He was arrogant, self-centred, rude. He didn't care about anything except winning.

Or did he?

Francesco wasn't Chick Hicks; yes, he was annoying, but unlike Chick, Crystal had never seen him deliberately cheat or hurt anyone. Francesco's strategy was speed; Chick's was cheating. But that still didn't answer her question on why Francesco had risked his life to save her.

"Miss Crystal?"

Crystal jumped slightly at the Italian-accented voice behind her. She turned to see Francesco standing behind her.  
"I'm sorry. I did not-a mean to-a scare you." stammered Francesco.

To Crystal's surprise, he wasn't speaking in third person like he usually was. "It's not a problem," she said, "I was just...lost in thought."

"Oh," said Francesco, "I see."

Crystal let out a huge sigh. "Francesco, I just...look, I...I just wanted to say..."

"That Francesco is-a the best racer?" asked the red F1 in a teasing tone.

"No!" snapped Crystal, "I mean, yes—no, I mean, I mean..." she sighed. She had never had such a hard time trying to talk to someone before. "Francesco, I just wanted to say..."

Francesco stared at her.

"Thank you...for saving my life." she finally stammered.

Francesco blushed slightly and looked at the ground. "Ah, it was-a nothing. Francesco does not-a want anyone to get a-hurt, especially when they are-a lovely young ladies like-a yourself."

Crystal glanced up at him, feeling the tiniest burst of anger rush through her. "Did you just rescue me because you thought I was pretty?" she snapped.

"No! That is-a not what-a Francesco means at all!" the F1 racer retorted, reversing slightly, "Francesco means that...he does not-a want anyone to get-a hurt."

Crystal was surprised. "Really?" she asked.

"Si," he replied, "Francesco does not a-like to see his-a rivals get-a hurt. Francesco a-knows how that-a feels."

"Oh...I see then," said Crystal slowly.

Francesco merely nodded. "And...I hope that-a McMissile is-a all right."

"Me too," said Crystal.

The minutes dragged into hours. By now most of the cars were already asleep, save for McQueen, Carla, Holley, Francesco, and Crystal.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, a doctor drove into the waiting room. "Family for Finn McMissile?" he asked.

Holley and the others quickly jumped up.

"How is he?" she asked.

The Mini Cooper sighed. "He has several nasty burns from lava and several serious abrasions from falling rocks. His right front axle is also swollen," he sighed again, "turns out it is infected."

"Infected!" gasped Holley, "how?"

"When I last examined it back in Australia, it was merely sprained," explained the doctor, "but when I checked it when he came it, it appears some tissue has been torn and some dirt somehow got inside. My guess is he was doing some strenuous work that required him to put a lot of weight on that axle and he probably scraped it somehow."

"Will he be all right?" asked Holley with worry in her eyes.

"He'll be fine," replied the Mini, "but he needs to rest. Since the race is going to be delayed for a while, we want to keep him here until he has had a chance to heal and get his strength back."

"All right," said Holley, the relief audible in her voice, "when may we see him?"

"Well..." the Mini looked uncertain, "honestly, I think it is best that he rests now..."

Holley looked disappointed.

The Mini thought for a moment. "All right, I tell you what," he said, "I'm about to run check on him for the night. If you would like to come, you may."

"I'll go," said Holley, "thank you."

"Very well then," said the Mini, "follow me, please."

Holley followed the doctor down the narrow corridor. Finally he stopped at room 113 and opened the door.

Inside, Finn laid on a bed, sleeping peacefully. His axle was wrapped and an IV was inserted into his petrol tank, and his body was covered in bandages.

Holley quietly drove up to his bed. The British spy stirred and opened his eyes.

"Oh, hello Holley," he said, shifting around a bit, "how are you doing?"

"Just fine," replied Holley, "and you?"

"Oh, very well," said Finn, "I just feel a little dehydrated and sore is all."

Holley studied him closely. The metal around Finn's windscreen was black and sunken, his paint was charred with black burns, dents and scratches covered his body, and he looked completely tired. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Finn nodded. "I'm positive," he said. He tried putting on a reassuring smile but it came out as more of a grimace.

Holley smiled sympathetically and shook her bonnet, "you can't fool me, Finn," she said, "I know that look on your face—the one you have when you're in pain but you're trying to hide it."

Finn sighed. "Oh, all right, if you want the truth, my whole body is killing me. I just...I just wish I knew what caused that massive eruption."

"It wasn't just an eruption, Finn," said Holley, "that volcano was literally exploding!"

Finn's eyes widened. "Exploding?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, exploding!"replied Holley, "there were multiple violent eruptions that looked like they were coming from within the volcano. It didn't look natural to me, Finn. It looked like...it looked like someone had set them off."

"Set them off?" asked Finn, "Holley, you can't just set off the volcano!"

"That's why I have got every reason to believe it was rigged," said Holley, "and what about that tree that fell on you? I don't think that was a freak accident, Finn—I believe that was done deliberately."

"By whom?" asked Finn.

Holley shrugged. "Chick?"

Finn thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since the explosion. Do you think he's the one who set it off?"

"I would assume so," said Holley, "but how?"

"I don't know, Holley," said Finn, "I just don't know."

Holley sighed, "well, we'll know more when the geologists get back."

Finn nodded, "all right then. I guess we shall have to wait." The British spy car let out a long yawn. "Oh, excuse me," he said tiredly, "I'm feeling quite knackered. I think I'll lie down and go to sleep now."

Holley smiled at him. "All right, Finn," she said, "get plenty of sleep, all right? Hopefully I shall be seeing you in the morning."

"You too," said Finn as he drifted off.

Holley gave the sleeping spy one last glance before slipping back out into the waiting room.

Back in the waiting room, almost everyone was asleep. Holley glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was well past one in the morning.

"Hey, is everyone awake?" she called out gently.

McQueen's eyes snapped open. "Um, yeah, I'm awake!" he cried, bolting upward.

Everyone else slowly awoke.

"Sorry!" said Holley, "I did not mean to disturb you from your sleep. I just wanted to let you know that I have seen Finn, and he is doing OK."

At this there was a bombarding of questions.

"How is he?" asked Schnell.

"Will he be OK?" asked Carla.

"When is he going to be getting out?" asked Raoul.

"Is he going to live?" asked Lewis.

"When can we see him?" asked Rip.

"Everyone, calm down!" said Holley. "Yes, Finn is going to be all right. He's just very sore and tired right now. We'll be able to visit him tomorrow. And no, Raoul, I don't know when he is going to be released. Now, I suggest we all get back to sleep and wait until the geologists arrive."

Just then, as if on cue, two cars, a grey van and a dark blue SUV, drove through the door. "Is Miss Belia around?" one of them asked.

"Yes, I'm here," the pink Telsa said, rushing over to them, "what have you found?"

"Something very interesting," replied the grey van, "based on the data collected on the volcano, we've determined that it was well overdue for an eruption. However, our studies brought up something interesting."

Everyone waited with bated breath.

"The eruption was not done naturally," he continued, "it was triggered to go off!"

Everyone gasped.

"What do you mean it was triggered to go off?" asked Carla.

"How do you rig a volcano?" asked Frosty.

"There are actually numerous ways one can rig a volcano to go off," explained the blue SUV, "but you'll never believe what we found inside the volcano!" He held up some charred remains in his tyre.

"What is it?" asked Belia.

"They're pieces of dynamite," said the SUV.

"But where did they come from?" asked Belia.

"Well," said the SUV, "we had some cars do some digging around the area, and we found a an empty crate labelled 'dynamite' and looked at the date. It was made in 1942!"

"1942!" exclaimed Belia in shock.

"Yes!" said the van, "and out-of-date dynamite is highly explosive. The label on the box said not to use after 1945."

"But what would old dynamite be doing here on this island?" asked Schnell.

"Apparently, this island was used by American troupes in World War II, and they stored their weapons and ammunition here. The island was most likely abandoned shortly after the war and the supplies left buried. We've sent out some diggers who will remove the rest of the ammunition and get it off the island. We will most likely donate it to the Smithsonian Institute or a World War II museum."

"But that does not explain how it got into the volcano," said Schenll.

The van took a deep breath and sighed. "It appears that someone has broken into the crate and placed the dynamite in the volcano, causing it to explode from within, causing frequent, violent eruptions and internal explosions from inside the volcano."

"But who on Earth would do such a thing?!" asked Belia. Then realisation struck her. "Wait a minute...has anybody wondered why we didn't see Chick that morning?"

The racing cars murmured amongst one another.

"Do you think he had something to do with it?" asked Schnell.

"I'll bet he did!" exclaimed Shu.

"Do you know who did it?" asked Belia.

The van shook his bonnet. "Unfortunately, the pieces of dynamite have been so severely scalded by the lava that it is impossible to identify any tyre tracks or DNA. Considering how that racer Hicks has a very bad reputation of cheating, it's probably safe to assume he's behind it. But unless we find some actual solid evidence, we can't hold anything against him."

Belia sighed. "Great," she groaned, "now who knows what he will get away with?"

"Speaking of which, where is he?" asked McQueen.

"Under the hardened lava, I hope," said Wolff.

"Wolff, really!" exclaimed Belia.

"Well, we haven't found him," the van spoke up, "but he couldn't have gone far. It's a small island. He might not have escaped."

Belia let out a huge sigh. "Well, I guess until we have some solid evidence, there's nothing we can do now." She turned to the geologists. "Thank you so much for your time and telling us."

"Our pleasure, Miss," said the van as he and his companion exited.

Belia turned back to the racers. "Well, I guess we're stuck here until we hear word that it is safe to return."

McQueen yawned and stretched. "I think I'll lie down now."

The other racers murmured in agreement.

"All right," said Belia with a smile, "it is probably best that you do. I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well!"

"Good night, Belia!" called the other racers as they settled down.

Since there were no additional rooms available, the hospital staff agreed to place some mattresses for the racers in the vacant waiting room. It wasn't long before everyone was settled and asleep, except for McQueen, Raoul, and Schnell.

"McQueen?" asked Raoul sleepily.

"Hm?" replied McQueen.

"Do you think Chick put the dynamite in the volcano?" the French rally car asked.

"I don't know, Raoul," said McQueen, "I suppose it's possible. I mean, he has been somewhat obsessed with getting us out of the race. But putting dynamite in a volcano and setting it off just to get rid of us? That's crazy, even for him!"

"Perhaps," said Schnell, "but can you think of anyone else who would do it?"

"Natives?" asked McQueen.

"The island was previously uninhabited," said Raoul, "and besides, why would they want to blow up their own island?"

"I guess you're right," replied McQueen, "it must have been Chick, although that was a pretty steep move on his part." McQueen settled down.

"McQueen?" asked Raoul again.

"What?" groaned McQueen.

"Do you think Chick Hicks survived the explosion?"

"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't," said McQueen, "I don't know. And normally I'd say good riddance but...I can't bring myself to wish that on other cars, even when they are as nasty as Chick is."

"Neither can I," replied Raoul.

Behind Raoul, Schnell snored.

McQueen yawned. "Well, if you don't mind Raoul, I think I'm going to bed down now. I've had a long, stressful day, and I need the rest."

"OK," said Raoul, "goodnight."

"Goodnight."

McQueen settled down and tried to go to sleep, but he couldn't get himself to rest. His thoughts were on Chick, and whether or not he survived the explosion.

 _Who cares?_ he thought, _he probably deserves it. Look what he did to The King and Rip!_

McQueen winced at his own thoughts. Surely he didn't truly wish such harm on Chick...or did he?

 _No,_ thought McQueen, _I don't. It's just that I wish he would just get a taste of his own medicine...or at least think about getting a change of heart._

Finally McQueen couldn't think any more. He laid down on his mattress and fell asleep, worn out from the long day.

….

Outside of the medical bay, all was quiet and calm. The volcano had stopped smoking and the rocks had stopped falling, but fallen rocks, tumbled trees, and scattered leaves laid everywhere, leaving the track in a huge mess. Hardened lava formed a shell on top of the tree and rock masses, creating large, grey lumps in the middle of the track, and the bleachers and sky box where completely crushed and smashed to bits, leaving shards of wood, glass, and metal everywhere.

Chick peeked out of his hiding spot, grinning evilly at seeing the mess. "Beautiful!" he said, "just beautiful!" He drove out from beneath the mini cave he had found and went to observe his handiwork.

The track and bleachers were littered and the sky box was completely destroyed. It would take weeks to get things back in order, and Chick knew that the Planet Earth Prix racers had no time to stick around and wait for the track to be cleaned off and repaired.

"Brilliant!" said Chick, "now this silly race will be cancelled and I can go back to racing rookies! And better yet, I won't have to deal with these annoying racers any more! Just think of it, all of them are now buried under that layer of lava! Along with those annoying spies, too!" Chick laughed menacingly, "and all it took was a few sticks on dynamite to make it look like a natural disaster! Now I won't have to worry about getting into trouble with Belia!"

Satisfied, Chick made his way back to the hotel. However, halfway back to his hut he stopped. What if the officials got suspicious? What if they discovered remains of the dynamite in the volcano? What if they questioned him on where he was during the eruption? Chick quickly thought of a good backstory.

"I know!" said Chick, "I'll tell them I saw it erupting and I ran, and I was stuck for awhile and couldn't get out!"

Confident his story would work, he hurried back to the camp and didn't stop until he was safe inside his hut. Once he was safely inside he closed the door and leapt onto his bed, eyeing the damage he had done through his window.

 _Great,_ thought Chick, _everything is working out perfectly, just the way I want it. Soon I'll be the champion, and there shall be no more Lightning McQueen or anyone else who thinks they can beat me and get away with it, and I'll be the champ!_

With that, Chick settled in and fell asleep.

 **Looks like Chick is up to no good. 0_0**

 **Well, I'm sure you're all relieved that Finn survived! Gosh, I must have kept you all hanging for a few months! Sorry about that. :S**

 **As for why I have decided to stay...well, as you all probably know I had to deal with that Cars 3 event I missed. It was two, long painful days that I wished would just fly by me. But once it was over, I could think with a clear mind. So I pondered it over before finally deciding that I wanted to stay.**

 **Some time ago I had a friend here tell me that, in a way, I was fighting a battle similar to what Lightning McQueen is going to find himself in Cars 3. Lightning is being pushed out of the sport he loves because of the younger rookies who have no respect for older racing cars. In a way, I was being pushed out of the fandom I loved. I mean, how come kids far younger than me get to go to these events, while I, a hardcore fan for almost 2 years, did not? Cars just became very painful during that time. I felt like I had failed as a Cars fan. I even thought I was the worst Cars fan that ever walked the earth. I mean, who ever heard of a die-hard fan who didn't go to a once-in-a-lifetime event? But then I realised that it wasn't my fault. I tried to go. I failed in going, yes, but the point is, I tried to win something I loved. I guess that's the most any true fan can do, to try to earn something even if they don't get it. Another barrier that kept me away for a while was the fact that I didn't want to face possibly running into some snob who did get to go. Yet in Cars 3, Lightning is going to have to deal with Jackson Storm and prove to him he's still got what** **it takes to be a racing star. While I haven't yet dealt with any "Jackson Storms", aka any snobby people who did go to the event, it is something I probably will have to deal with in the future. But if I wanted to go back to being one of the biggest Cars fans out there, I would need to seek the help of my friends to help me get motivated to fight my way back, just like Lightning will seek out the help of Cruz Ramirez to help him prepare to race against Jackson Storm. And in a way, you have all been like Cruz Ramirez-you have kept motivating me to go on, even when I didn't want to. You have encouraged me not to give up, that I can still love the fandom and wear it on my sleeve with pride, even if I didn't get to make it to an event. But do you know what the funny thing is? It made me more excited for Cars 3! Why? Because, in a way, I was be able to relate to Lightning McQueen throughout the film as he strives to prove to everyone he isn't through yet, just like I am ready to prove to everyone that I too, am not through with the fandom.**

 **I also had reviewer Chimichangar ask me this: "if you give up, will you really be happy? If the answer is no, then you have to hold onto your dream." So I pondered over that. I asked myself this: "if I give up, will I be happy that the pain is over, or will I mourn over the thing that has meant so much to me? Should I stay and risk getting thrown down by the pain again, or should I give it up and find something else?"**

 **At first, I actually did try to find something else to obsess over. But it didn't make me as happy as Cars did. In fact, the more I spaced myself away from Cars, the more hurt I became and the more I missed it. I finally had to face the truth; there was no way I could ever kill off that obsession. I had built it around me like a brick wall that could withstand any fire, any earthquake. It was never going to come down, and you know what? I'm glad it didn't. Besides, if I missed out on Cars 3, I figured, I would probably just become more mad at myself for missing out, not to mention severely regret it. That's when I decided to stay.**

 **I really want to take the time to give everyone here a HUGE thank you, because if it hadn't been for your support, I might have just left and never come back. I would like to thank EarthHyena, Nightfly123, TRikiD, Cars Crazy Fudge, ChrisMustang, Chimichangar, CarsGeek24, RaidenF, Ezeray, Tripidydoodah, and BAVV for your unwavering support and helping me get through this rough time. It is people like you who make the Cars fandom a better place. You are my gang of Cruz Ramirezes. Don't ever forget that!**

 **A huge thank-you also goes to anyone who sent a PM or left a forum post or review offering me sympathy and encouragement and anyone who at least took the time to think about me and wish the best for me. Even the simplest little message meant a lot to me, so thank you! I love you all so much.**

 **To CarsGeek24: I would really like to thank you for taking the time to write a honest review about the event. While I am glad I didn't miss out on anything important, I am still a little disappointed. I wanted to be able to go to a once-in-a-lifetime event and just have a little fun. Even if all I spent was 20 minutes there I think I would have had a grand time. But I'm glad you were honest with me instead of cracking it up to be something it was not; I would have felt much worse if you had not been honest. On a more positive note, I am glad you are enjoying the story! This chapter is dedicated to you!**

 **On a even more positive note, I got to see Cars 3 on première day, and it was absolutely smashing! I loved it, and I even kept my popcorn bucket, cup and ticket! If you haven't seen it already, you must! I promise you'll love it! Don't worry, I won't spoil it for you, I promise!**

 **Also, please check out my new Cars fanfiction Father's Daughter! Some reviews would be greatly appreciated! I've also got a new poll on my profile if you would like to look at that too!**

 **Thanks to all of you, I am back in the game again! I'll try to have more updates soon!**

 **~Sandra**


	20. A Change in Plans

**Hey everyone, I'm back again! Sorry for disappearing for so long, but so much has been going on with school and life that I was kept pretty busy! Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season, and consider this chapter a late Christmas gift!**

 _McQueen shut his eyes, trying to focus on the track ahead of him._

" _Okay...here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed..."_

 _His eyes snapped wide open, and he bolted with a start._

" _Ah Lightning McQueen! You-a racing in this too?"_

 _McQueen mentally groaned. "Oh great," he said, "Francesco, I was wondering when you would show up."_

 _Francesco laughed. "Ah, McQueen, you know Francesco never-a misses races."_

 _McQueen rolled his eyes. Of course Francesco had to show up._

 _Suddenly, the light turned green, and all of the cars sped off—except for McQueen, who couldn't seem to get his tyres to turn._

" _Aw, come on!" he growled, gunning his engine._

 _Slowly he crept forward, slower than molasses._

" _Must...catch...up..." he thought as he tried to make his way around the curve._

 _Suddenly there was a loud BANG! McQueen glanced up to see the massive volcano beside him erupting. The lava rushed down at a alarming rate, sweeping up cars in its way._

Oh no! _thought McQueen as he desperately tried to drive out of the way._

 _Suddenly, before he knew it, he was pinned underneath a tree._

" _Oh great!" he thought, "now I'm stuck!"_

 _Suddenly there was a loud scream, and McQueen turned to see Finn next to him, swept away by the lava._

 _Then before McQueen knew it, a large boulder came down and smashed him right between the eyes._

" _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"_

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

McQueen suddenly woke up to obnoxious laughter. Loud electric rock music blasted through the halls.

"What is going on?!" he shouted above the noise.

Just then, a Honda HSC came swerving into the room, blasting the horrible music from his rear-window speakers, laughing like a maniac.

"SHIRAKO!" shouted a loud voice, "TURN THAT SPEAKER OFF! YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE EVERYONE DEAF WITH THAT MUSIC!"

"Aw, come on, man!" laughed Shirako as he danced around, "it's well past time for these guys to get up!"

"Shirako," sighed a yellow Synkro Pasaro, "we are in a hospital. There are patients here that need their rest. You are being annoying."

At that, Shirako stopped. He slowly turned the volume down on his music before shutting it off completely. He looked at the ground. "I'm sorry," he said, "I was just so excited and...well, you know I need to get my energy out...long plane ride, big competition, you know?"

"Yes, I know," said Synkro, "but you must learn to control yourself."

By now, everyone was awake and protesting. Even Enzo looked extremely irritated.

"What is going on?!" demanded Shu as he jumped up, "where was that awful music coming from?!"

"It was horrible!" exclaimed Raoul, "it sounded like screeching brakes!"

"And it was so loud!" added Carla.

Rip was shaking. "I-I w-wasn't s-sure what was going on!"

"YOU A-WOKE UP FRANCESCO!" screeched Francesco "YOU A-WOKE HIM UP FROM A PERFECTLY GOOD DREAM ABOUT FRANCESCO A-BEATING MCQUEEN!"

"McQueen's not going to be happy when he wakes up," said Jeff nonchalantly. Lewis nodded.

But McQueen was already up. "What's the big idea?!" he demanded, "who was blasting that music?!"

"He was," said Synkro, pointing at the Honda. Shirako grinned.

"Don't mind him," said a white Ford GT40 as he drove in, followed by a white Porsche Carrera and a black sports car, "Shirako here's got a big speaker and he loves blasting that loud music of his."

"Hey Sky!" grinned McQueen, "I didn't know you were in this race!"

"Oh I am!" said Sky, "but we got stuck in a bad storm in Germany so we missed the party and nearly missed the race itself, and then Shirako wanted to see the Australian Outback after the race. We meant to see you after this race, but then the volcano erupted and we had to escape."

"Oh, I see," said McQueen, "by the way, did you hear about what happened?"

"Yes," said Sky, "I heard that they're looking for Chick because they suspect he was the one who rigged the volcano to go off using World War Two bombs!"

"Isn't it crazy?!" asked McQueen.

"It is," said Sky. He glanced around. "Now, where are Chris and Edward-"

"I WANT TO GO IN FIRST!" interrupted a voice with a thick British accent.

"NO I WANT TO GO IN FIRST!" shouted another.

"I'M THE OLDER ONE!" came the first voice.

"WELL I'M THE BETTER RACER!" came the second voice.

"WHY YOU-"

"EDWARD! CHRIS!" shouted Sky, "STOP IT!"

Two Mustangs drove in, one red and the other blue.

"He started it," said the red Mustang, pointing a accusing tyre at the blue Shelby Mustang next to him.

"No, he started it!" said the blue Shelby, pointing at the red Mustang.

"I don't care who started it," said Sky tiredly, "both of you need to control yourselves. Why is it you always find something to bicker about?"

"Because we've got nothing else to do," the red Mustang said with a shrug. The blue Mustang glared.

"Well, you'll be busy racing on the track soon enough," said Sky, "now, can you two try to get along for a few minutes?"

The Mustangs nodded. "All right."

At that moment Belia came rushing in. "Mon Dieu, what is going on?" she asked.

The Ford GT40 sighed. "My friends are arguing again."

"He started it!" said Chris, pointing an accusing tyre at Edward.

"No, you started it!" he exclaimed.

"That's enough!" said Belia, "for goodness sake you are going to wake everyone in the hospital!"

"I think he just did," said Schnell.

A low groan sounded from down the hall.

"Oh dear," said Holley, "I believe Finn is now woken up. I guess I had better go check on him."

Holley quickly drove down the hall to Finn's room and opened the door.

"Finn, are you all right?"

Finn was lying on the bed looking very disturbed. "Holley?" he asked sleepily, "what on earth was that awful sound?"

"Some racing car was playing his music far too loudly," Holley said simply.

"For goodness sake doesn't he realise he is in a hospital?" asked Finn, "I was enjoying a peaceful nap while back, and now I've got a headache."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Holley, "would you like me to fetch you some aspirin?"

"Yes please," said Finn "I would appreciate that very much."

"All right," said Holley. She drove out into the hallway and flagged down a nurse.

"Excuse me," said Holley, "but Mr. McMissile has got a headache and wants some aspirin."

"Okay," said the white VW Beetle, "I'll get him some."

She disappeared for a few minutes and then came back with a case of pills. "Follow me," she said as she darted into Finn's room.

"Here Finn," said Holley as she and the nurse drove in, "we brought you some aspirin."

"Ah, thank you," said Finn as the nurse poured him a glass of water.

"Here," said the nurse, handing the water over, "drink this with your pill and you should soon feel better."

Finn gulped down the water with the pill, feeling the immense relief flood his head. "Ah, thank you," he said, "I feel better already."

The nurse frowned. "I should go scold the culprit who was playing that music!"

"Oh don't worry about that," said Holley, "our friend is doing that for us."

"Good," said the nurse. She then turned and left.

Meanwhile out in the lobby, Belia was scolding Shirako for blasting his music.

"Shirako, you must really learn to control yourself!" she scolded.

"I'm sorry" said Shirako, who now looked very sheepish. He glanced at the tiled floor beneath his tyres.

Belia sighed. "Now that I've got everyone's attention, I have an announcement I need to make."

She took a deep breath and began. "Now, as you all know, that volcanic eruption has caused quite a bit of damage. And we've already got one suspect on our tyres."

At that moment everyone started asking questions.

"So are we still going to race?" demanded Flash.

"Are we-a going to a-get off this a-island?" asked Francesco.

"Is McMissile going to be well enough to travel?" questioned Raoul.

"You're not going to cancel the Planet Earth Prix, are you?" asked Schnell.

"Bien sur que non! Of course not!" said Belia, "however, I am going to have to cross the island race off our list. The eruption has caused far too much damage. It will take months to get everything properly cleaned up again. However, I am going to be finding a replacement location! But for now, I think we should plan on getting ready to move to our next location."

"And where is that?" asked McQueen.

"We're going to be going to New Rearendia!" announced Belia.

"Oh boy!" exclaimed Rip, "we're going to my country!"

"I can't wait to see it!" cried Raoul, crushing him into a hug.

"When do we leave?" asked McQueen.

"First thing tomorrow," said Belia.

"What about Finn?" asked Raoul.

"He will be coming with us," reassured Belia, "but we need to make sure that he gets plenty of rest. So I need you all to be quiet." She gave Shirako an extra long stare. "And that especially concerns you, Mr. Shirako."

"Okay miss," he said quietly.

"Good!" said Belia, "now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get our flights ready. In the meantime, you will be staying here. I suggest that you go down to the cafeteria if you would like something to eat."

"Okay then!" said McQueen. "Thanks!"

Just then, Holley came out. "What is going on?" she asked.

"Belia told us that we are going to be going to New Rearendia!" said Schnell, "we leave first thing tomorrow!"

"So I take it this race got cancelled?" inquired Holley.

"Yeah," said McQueen, "I heard the track is completely buried."

There was a silence. Then there was a grumble.

"Oops!" giggled Mater, "that was mah stomach."

"What time is it?" asked McQueen.

Schnell glanced at the clock. "Goodness! It's almost three in the afternoon!"

"WHAT?!" everyone gasped in unison.

"Well, we were up pretty late last night," said Miguel, "and we overslept because we were so exhausted."

"Well I guess we had best be heading to the cafeteria then," said Nigel.

"Lay on, MacDuff," said Miguel with a crooked smile.

With that the racers and their friends slowly piled out of the waiting room, which was now littered with blankets, pillows and sleeping bags all over the floor.

Later that night, everyone was getting settled in. The day had passed uneventfully, except for a food fight that Mater had tried to start with Francesco in the cafeteria. The tow truck had playfully thrown an orange at him, only for Francesco to scream back at him in rapid-fire Italian and throw a cantaloupe at him, eventually turning into such a big ordeal that the manager had to come and put an end to it all.

While they were eating their dinner, Belia came to join them. She told them that there was no sign of Chick and that they would not get the results from the dynamite until much later. Until then, she could not disqualify him. However, there was some good news, as Finn was reported to be doing much better and could leave the hospital in the morning.

"Well, I hope everyone's going to be ready for tomorrow," said Enzo as he settled into his sleeping bag.

"I think so," said Sky, "I just hope we won't have to get up early."

"Hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but Belia wants us up at seven," said McQueen.

"NOOO!" whined Sky.

McQueen winked at him. "Sorry. That's just how it is."

"Oh, I'm sure Mr. Noisy One will get us up." Sky motioned to Shirako, who was sound asleep and snoring loudly. "He's his own alarm clock."

Everyone chuckled.

McQueen yawned. "Well, goodnight everyone."

"'Night," the other cars chorused back, followed by a series of snores and snuffles.

McQueen then settled down and went to sleep, worn out from the day's events.

 **I'll be honest, I'm not completely thrilled about this chapter. I feel it's just...wrong somehow. I mean, it's just I have written better chapters before, but oh well. I promise the next chapter will be better!**

 **Also, I would like to give a shoutout to ChrisMustang, who has allowed me to use his characters-Edward, Shirako, the black sports car (Lance), the Porsche (Star), Chris and Synkro—in this story. Thank you so much, Chris! You're awesome! :D**

 **By the way, I've got some exciting news! I am officially on YouTube, Deviantart, Tumblr, Wattpad and A03/Archive Of Our Own! I am the same username has here (Agent Sandra Cartrip) Please do stop by and leave a comment or two if you can, I would very much appreciate it!**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to update sooner, but unfortunately, I'm going to be quite busy with finishing college soon. The good news, however, by Summer I'll officially graduate with a two year degree! And I'm going to be 18 in a couple of months! I'm so excited!**

 **I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and will have a smashing New Year!**

 **Stay tuned for more chapters!**

 **~Sandra**


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